All We Ever Wanted
by PickingViolets
Summary: Kurt and Blaine are happily married now. Doctor and Nurse, Addy and Elly... One happy family. Their domestic perfection is challenged though when they open their hearts and their home to those in need. Sequel to "A Fresh Start"
1. Chapter 1

**Thursday Morning**

"Mrs. Devereaux's waiting for you in room 108, Dr. Hummel," Lisa said over her shoulder as she passed Kurt in the hall, tossing the chart toward him. He reached out with a look of shock and fumbled to catch it. It bounced off of his arm and then his hand before landing on the floor, papers spilling everywhere. He looked at her over the top of his glasses as she scrunched up her nose in apology.

"Really, Lisa? How long have we known each other? When have I ever given you the impression that have the ability to catch something randomly thrown in my face?"

"Sorry," she tried to hide her laughter. "I was thinking of your husband, I guess. You know what they say, the longer you're with someone the more you start to look alike."

"I didn't realize that I had shrunk thee inches," he said sassily as he crouched down to scoop up the mess.

"Hey now!" A voice called from within another exam room. A curly head popped through the door and Blaine stuck his tongue out before disappearing again.

Kurt and Lisa grinned at each other as the doctor stacked the papers from the chart neatly again and ducked into the patient's room.

* * *

"Morning, Mrs. Devereaux," Kurt greeted cheerily. The elderly woman looked up from her magazine and shot him a winning smile. "How are you this morning?"

"I'd feel better if that cute young nurse was about forty years older. Actually, I'd rather he stayed the same age and I was forty years younger," she winked at him and folded her hands on her lap. Kurt was careful to hide his smile.

"What nurse is that?" He asked innocently, knowing full well that Blaine was the only male nurse working that shift.

"Oh, that adorable one with the curly hair," she waved her hand at him and gave him a look that said he should already know. He smiled at her then.

"Oh, that one. Well, unfortunately for you, not only is he much younger, he's also gay," he grinned. She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Oh! Well, then you should ask him out, honey. You'd make an adorable couple!" She clapped her hands excitedly. He laughed as he sat down on the edge of her bed and opened her chart.

"What makes you automatically think that I'm gay too?" he teased. She patted his arm.

"Oh, honey. Who are you kidding?" She smiled at him. He pretended to be offended for just a moment but couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Anyway," he rolled his eyes, "I think that's enough talk about my orientation. Let's move on to your physical therapy."

She lost her smile and stiffened, pulling the blanket up around her and refusing to meet his gaze. He sighed.

"Come on, Mrs. Devereaux. You're never going to start getting better if you don't try. How come you're refusing to go to therapy?" She glared at him out of the corner of her eye before speaking quietly.

"It hurts and I'm tired and old. The therapist isn't nice and I just don't feel like trying anymore."

Kurt sighed again and took her hand, stroking it for a moment with his thumb. She melted a little at the kind gesture but still refused to look at him directly. Just that moment, Blaine entered the room with a wheelchair.

"Hey, Marion!" He greeted with a smile. "I'm here to take you to therapy. Has Dr. Hummel been able to convince you to go today?" She shot both men another glare and crossed her arms with a loud, "Hmph."

Blaine looked at his husband with a little grimace, but Kurt smiled, inspiration striking him.

"Tell you what, Mrs. Devereaux. I'll make a deal with you. I will make sure you have a new physical therapist, a much nicer one." She gave him a look that said 'you gotta do better than that'. He held up a finger to show her that he wasn't finished. "Aaaand... If I can get this gorgeous nurse here to agree to go out on a date with me, you agree to give physical therapy one more try."

She looked up quickly and a slow smile spread across her face. Blaine looked at his husband questioningly, but Kurt refused to meet his eye, not wanting to give them away. Marion tapped her fingers together for a moment, deliberating. She gave Kurt a challenging look.

"Get him to kiss you too and it's a deal."

Kurt hopped up off the bed and approached his husband with a smile. Blaine shook his head as if to say, 'You are terrible.' Kurt gave a tiny shrug that Blaine knew meant, 'I do what I have to do.'

"So," Kurt began shyly. Blaine had to work incredibly hard to hold in his laughter. Kurt cleared his throat nervously before continuing. "I've been meaning to tell you what a great job you're doing here, nurse."

"Why thank you, Dr. Hummel." Blaine replied, barely holding it together.

"I've also thought for a while now that you're really cute." Kurt bit his lip and took a tentative step forward. Blaine had to turn his head to the side so that the older lady couldn't see his amusement. He took a deep breath and regained his composure before turning to look at his husband again. Marion was watching them with wide eyes and bated breath. Blaine moved a bit closer and turned a smoldering gaze on the doctor.

"Well, thank you again. I've actually been noticing you for a while now too, and hoping you'd ask me out. I've been trying to get your attention but you're just so... sexily aloof." The nurse took another step toward his husband so that they were only inches apart. It was Kurt's turn to work desperately at holding in his laughter. Marion reached blindly at her bedside table for some apple slices that were sitting there. She started munching happily while she watched, thinking that this was better than one of her soaps.

"I'm just really shy is all," Kurt looked off to the side. Blaine closed the distance between them and reached for the doctor's hand.

"Well, you should get over that. I'd definitely say yes if you asked me out."

"Will-Will you go out with me?" Kurt asked.

"Definitely," Blaine smiled, linking their fingers together. "In fact, I think we should take it a step further." Kurt bit the inside of his cheek to hold in his smile.

"Oh, really? What step would that be?"

"It's obvious how much we like each other, so let's just go for it. We'll move in together, get married and have two beautiful children." Blaine moved in closer and grabbed Kurt around the waist, pulling the doctor to him. Kurt didn't even try to hide his grin.

"I'm game if you are." He was surprised that his breathlessness was actually genuine. Even playing around, his husband could still make him feel like he was falling for the first time.

"I'm going to kiss you now," Blaine whispered. Kurt just smiled and wrapped his arms around the nurse's neck.

No matter how many times they did this, it never got old. Both men felt their hearts beat faster as their lips met. They actually lost themselves for just a moment before they heard a small gasp. They broke apart and looked to the elderly lady who was peering at them as realization set in.

"Wait a minute, that was too easy. You're already together aren't you?" She pointed at them accusingly.

Kurt grinned, reaching across to grab Blaine's left hand with his own and raised them in the air, flashing her their wedding rings. The nurse kissed his cheek before turning to Marion with a wink, wiggling his ring finger at her.

"How the heck did I miss those?" She exclaimed, pulling her glasses off to clean them. "I suppose I'll have to give you some credit, even if you were being tricky. You did put on a nice little show for me." She sighed and clucked her tongue.

"Alright. A deal's a deal. I'll give it another try. Let's get a move on, honey," she said to Blaine as she tossed her blanket aside. "We're burning daylight."

Blaine did a little fist pump and both the doctor and nurse quickly helped to settle her in the chair. She smiled at the couple when she was in place.

"Do you really have two children, or was that just part of your sneaky act?" She asked cheekily. Blaine snorted a laugh.

"We really do have two beautiful children. Their names are Adelaide and Elliott and they are in the first grade this year."

"Oh! Twins!" She exclaimed. The couple gave each other knowing smiles as Blaine wheeled her out. They were used to it by now. Most people just meeting them thought that the kids were fraternal twins, since they were the same age.

"Interesting story, actually," Blaine began, kissing Kurt on the cheek once more before he exited the room.

Kurt's smile faded a bit once he was alone. Two kids. Still just two.

* * *

**Thursday Night**

"You can't take my children!" The woman screamed at Finn, throwing a glass against the wall so it shattered just above his head.

Finn held the baby close as she snuggled into his shoulder and grasped the toddler by the hand. He made no move to stop or even acknowledge the woman as he headed to his car as calmly as possible. A police officer wrestled her back and restrained her as she tried to lunge at the social worker once more.

"They are mine! You have no right, you fucking ass!" She screeched as the officer put her into the back of his squad car.

Finn watched as the toddler's eyes filled with tears and the tiny fingers clutched tightly to his hand. His hand... the hand of a perfect stranger was more comforting to the child than his own mother's. He settled both children into his back seat as his anger boiled over. Shutting the door, he walked quickly over to the woman and leaned in with a menacing look.

"Oh, I have the right," he spoke in a low, even voice. "When I find children that are covered in bruises and look like they haven't been bathed or barely eaten in days. When I come to check on those children and find the mother throwing her child up against a wall and screaming. When those children are relieved to be taken away rather than begging to stay with their mom... I have every right."

She only glared back, shaking and breathing heavily as the officer shut the car door. Finn stared through the glass of the window for only a moment before turning quickly and getting back in his car. He took a deep breath to steady himself. These types of situations were the hardest. All he could see were his own little boys in the eyes of the older child. They were the same age. The thought of someone doing that to Teegan or Skylar made him so angry he couldn't see straight. He swallowed hard and turned around to look at the little boy.

"Are you hungry, sweetie?"

After a slight hesitation the child gave a shaky, little nod. Finn gave him an encouraging smile.

"What would you like? Absolutely anything."

The little boy gazed at him in wonder and Finn knew right away that this was probably the first time anyone had ever asked him what he wanted. The child took a deep breath before whispering hopefully.

"Fwench fwies?"

Finn nodded, smiling again. "We can do that."

* * *

Cara walked down the sidewalk slowly as a smile formed on her face. Her father walked beside her, looking like he felt sightly awkward and out of place.

"So, you feel good about this, Car-bear? They're the ones?" He asked her carefully. Cara smiled and reached out to take her father's hand.

How many single dads would have been this loving and supportive when their sixteen-year-old daughter got knocked up by their high school boyfriend? Not many, she figured. Her dad may not have always known what to say or do, but without fail, he was there. Usually quiet and stoic, but always loving and unwaveringly supportive. While he had definitely jumped on the adoption ban-wagon when she mentioned it, he had never pushed, always leaving any final decisions about the pregnancy up to her. She knew how lucky she was and would be eternally grateful for her amazing dad. She glanced back at the house of the couple she had chosen to adopt her baby.

"Yeah, I feel good. They seem so perfect... and they really want a baby so bad. I feel like this will work out best for everyone. This little nugget will have a good home with them." She patted her rounded abdomen lovingly then, and her father laughed. She had been concerned about getting too attached if she found out the sex of the baby, knowing she was going to give it away... so they had nicknamed it 'nugget'.

He squeezed her hand back and smiled. If she was happy, he was happy.

"Oh! Wait, dad! I almost forgot. I brought along the ultrasound picture to give them. Let me run back real quick."

"Run?" He smirked. She made a face and stuck her tongue out. It was true though, she really couldn't run anymore. Any movement she tried to make turned into more of a waddle.

She made her way back down the walk and up the front steps as quickly as she could. It was getting pretty late and she was ready to get home and rest. She raised a hand to knock on the door but paused when she heard yelling.

_"The girl is gone. We don't have to act like the perfect couple anymore, so stop with the fake politeness!"_

_"Fine! I'll stop trying to be nice! I thought it might be a good idea to have a pleasant home environment for the baby."_

_"You're the one that wants the baby, not me! I'll act however I want in our home. The only reason I'm being nice in front of that girl is so she'll give you what you want and you can stop bugging me about it."_

_"Why do you have to be like that?! Why can't you just try? Why do you have to..."_

Cara blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes and quickly backed away.

_No! _She shook her head vehemently. Her stomach churned when she thought of how big a mistake she had almost made.

There was no way that this couple would be getting her baby now. Not only had they purposely deceived her, she could never purposely put her child in a toxic environment like that.

She immediately felt a little bad for the woman. It was obvious that having a baby was still important to her. The teen paused for a moment and glanced back at the house, but shook her head quickly again as she hurried back down the walk. Having a child wouldn't fix a bad marriage. Cara was only a teenager, but even she knew that. By the time she reached her father, her tears would no longer be denied and leaked from the corners of her eyes. He looked at her in surprised concern.

"Car-bear! What's wrong?" She just shook her head in response at first, charging down the sidewalk angrily. He glanced at the house uncertainly before taking after his daughter. He caught up with her and took her arm to stop her, giving the girl a look that said she'd better spill. She sniffed loudly and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Can you take me back to the adoption agency tomorrow, daddy? We need to start again."

He looked at her solemnly for a moment and then nodded, taking her hand in his as they headed back down the sidewalk.

"Sure thing, baby. We'll go first thing in the morning."

* * *

Brandi crouched down in the dark alley, staring helplessly into the night. She was shaking from the cold and pulled the thin sweater closer around her in an attempt to keep warm. She sank down to the ground completely and gave in to the desperate loneliness and fear that was overwhelming her.

She took a ragged breath, tears streaming silently down her face. Curling up into a little ball, she eventually cried herself into a restless sleep. In the moments of stolen sleep she dreamed of homemade food, a warm bed and most of all, people that loved her.

She knew deep down that it wasn't going to happen though. No one knew where she was. No one cared where she was. No one was going to rescue her.

* * *

**Friday morning**

"Anything?" Blaine asked quietly when he saw Kurt pull out his phone to check for emails or voicemails for the tenth time that day. The doctor shook his head and moved to walk away without a word. Blaine sighed and grabbed Kurt's hand, pulling him quickly down the hall and into his office.

"What's up? Why are you so bothered by this today?" Blaine asked as he scooted himself back to sit on top of the doctor's desk. Kurt gave him an irritated look and yanked out his phone again before pulling up the calendar, sticking it in his husband's face.

"Seriously? Do you not remember what day it is?"

Blaine's eyes widened for just a moment, racking his brain. It wasn't their anniversary. Kurt always made him heart shaped pancakes that day. It wasn't Kurt's birthday either, they had just celebrated that last month.

Suddenly, it hit him. Of course. That's why his husband was especially anxious today. It had been two years since they officially decided to expand their family. Two years since they had started the whole process. Two years... and still nothing.

* * *

_The process of applying for an adoption had seemed to take forever. Well, just a year, but they had been anxious to begin, so it felt like an eternity. _

_Not long after starting the paperwork at the adoption agency, they had talked over the possibility of being foster parents too. They had taken a little bit longer with this decision, as there more so many more considerations than with adoption. They were both understandably concerned about putting Elly and Addy through the process of taking on a foster sibling. So many of these children would come from troubled backgrounds and they knew how much it could potentially disrupt their home. When Kurt had taken Elliott as a baby, he had been the only one in the picture. It had been an easy decision. They had talked it over for several weeks straight without making a decision. They kept coming back to one question. How would the kids feel about it? Kurt finally came up with the brilliant idea of just asking them. _

_They sat them down one evening before dinner and carefully explained what they were considering. They went through everything, from how much they could help a child that needed it, to how much it could potentially disrupt their lives. After listening closely, the kids looked at each other. _

_Addy shrugged and said, "Sounds like fun, daddies! I love other kids!" She hugged both of her fathers and then bounced happily away. The laughed at her response and then turned back to their son. _

_Elliott was a little more thoughtful. He looked at Blaine and then Kurt before asking a question. _

_"I thought we were already getting a baby?" _

_"Well," Blaine said, while glancing at Kurt. "We applied to adopt a baby, but it could take a long time and it may not happen at all if no one chooses us. This is different. Most likely whoever we take in will be older and we probably won't keep them forever like with adoption." _

_Elliott absorbed this information in silence before standing and scooting himself up on Kurt's lap. The doctor held his son close, not saying anything. He had learned by now that when his son was quiet like this, he was processing and organizing his thoughts. _

_"I was one of those kids, wasn't I? I was a foster kid and you took me home and then you adopted me?" _

_"Yup," Kurt answered softly. "Best decision I ever made, Elliott." He kissed his son's head and Blaine put an arm around both of them to hold them close. Elliott gave one of his signature, silent nods before hopping down. _

_"You took me home when I didn't have a mommy or a daddy. We made Addy my sister and Daddy Blaine adopted me." He eyed the two men expectantly. They nodded in the affirmative, still not completely sure where he was going with this. He smiled at their nods. "I want us to take home another kid. We're really good at loving people and being a family." _

_The two fathers gave him watery smiles and hugged him tight. When he bounded off to play with Addy they looked at each other and leaned in for a kiss. They knew without even asking each other what the next step was. _

_The very next day they started the process for Blaine to get certified and Kurt to get re-certified as foster parents. _

_The approval for Blaine's foster parent certification had finally gone through last week, but they had been approved and ready with the adoption agency for almost a year. Now, they were just waiting. Waiting for someone to pick them. Waiting for someone to need them. Every day that passed made the ache in their hearts for another child a little deeper. Kurt even more so than Blaine._

* * *

The nurse pulled the other man to him and held him close. It only took a moment before the tension radiating from the doctor faded away and he melted into the nurse's arms. He sighed and nuzzled down into his husband's shoulder.

"What if nobody ever picks us or needs us?"

"They will."

"But what if they don't?"

"They will."

"But..."

"Kurt!" Blaine laughed, pulling back to take his husband's face in his hands and gaze at him lovingly.

"We will get to do this, one way or another. Some girl will pick us to adopt her baby, or some foster child will need to be taken in and loved." He cupped Kurt's cheek and brushed their lips together gently. The doctor breathed in and leaned into the kiss, holding still and soaking in the feeling of the other man's mouth against his own. Blaine gripped his waist tightly and pressed small, emotion heavy kisses on his husband's lips, one after the other.

Things quickly became heated and Blaine was pulling Kurt up on top of the desk with him.

"We're supposed to be working right now, baby." Kurt laughed, but let himself be dragged up onto the furniture anyway.

"Nope, this is more important. You know what they say. When a couple is trying to have a baby they need to just relax and make love and it'll happen." Kurt nearly fell off the desk when he burst into laughter.

"You are aware that they are talking about heterosexual couples that are actually trying to create life, right? Somehow I don't think that applies to us, darling."

"Still," Blaine grinned, desperately trying to get his husband's pants down. "It never hurts to have a nice relaxing orgasm. Let's relax together, baby." The doctor laughed again, but helped Blaine with the buckle on his belt.

"Wait a minute," Kurt gasped out, hopping down and going to lock the door. "You'd think we'd have learned our lesson by now," he smiled. "How many times have we been interrupted by the staff here?" Blaine grinned and yanked him back up on top of the desk.

"Enough times that you'd think they'd stop walking in without knocking."

* * *

"Well, that's the last of them," the case worker sighed as she pulled the binder back from Cara's lap. The teenager looked at her guiltily and then glanced to her father. He sent his daughter a reassuring wink and it steadied her resolve.

"I'm sorry, I just... none of these feel right. I need it to feel right," she responded quietly. The case worker softened and patted her hand.

"Don't worry, sweetie. We'll find someone. It's just that, at the moment, these are the only couples we have on file that meet the requirements you laid out. Unless..." Cara brightened and looked up expectantly.

"Are you open to a same sex couple?"

The teen felt surprised. She knew that she had requested a family that had both a mother and a father, but really, all she just wanted a stable environment. It didn't matter to her, she had just never personally known a same sex couple before.

"Sure! Definitely!"

The case worker grinned and pulled out a new binder, sliding it across the desk. Cara eagerly opened it and started scanning the pages, but only made it three or four couples in. It felt as if the page literally jumped out at her. She had no idea why, it just seemed right. She felt warm tingles of excitement run through her and looked questioningly to her father. He shrugged with a grin that said, 'If you feel good about it then so do I.' She handed the binder back to the case worker and tapped the page excitedly.

"Them. I want to meet with them."

"We can arrange that," the case worker smiled. She reached out a hand and picked up her office phone.

* * *

_"I can't keep them for another night, Mr. Hudson. One is my limit. I'm getting older, you know. I just don't have the energy for this anymore."_

Finn sighed as the woman's voice spoke to him over the phone. "I understand. I appreciate you taking the temporary placement, Mrs. Wright. I wanted someone experienced and reliable for these kids. They've been through so much."

_"I know,"_ the voice on the other end of the line sounded genuinely sad._ "I truly am sorry that I can't keep them longer. They are good kids. I just..."_

"No, I get it. Don't be sorry. I'll be by to pick them up this afternoon. Is that soon enough?"

_"Oh, yes. That'll be just fine."_

Finn hung up his phone and plopped into his desk chair. He tipped back and spun in circles with his eyes shut. Most social workers would dive into their files at this point to try and come up with a suitable match. That wasn't how he worked though.

On his fourth spin around, his eyes popped open suddenly.

_Of course! Why didn't I think of them already?!_

He grabbed his phone and pressed speed dial.

* * *

Kurt and Blaine were resting together on the doctor's desk, half naked with blissful smiles on their faces.

"Oh, yeah. I'm definitely more relaxed now," Kurt drawled out lazily. Stroking his fingers lightly up and down his husband's chest. "You were ah-MAZ-ing, honey." Blaine grinned and let out a happy sigh.

"I work to be the best."

Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes as he sat up, slowly pulling his pants back into place. He started when Blaine's cell phone rang. They looked at each other and quickly yanked their clothes back on before the nurse grabbed it and glanced at the caller I.D.

"It's them. It's the adoption agency," he said quietly, his hand suddenly shaking.

"Answer it!" Kurt jumped up and down happily.

"Okay, but let's prepare ourselves. They may not be calling for the reason we hope. They may just..."

"Dammit, Blaine! Answer it before I hit you in the head with it!"

Blaine raised the phone to his ear and said hello with a crack in his voice.

Kurt stared in anxious anticipation. Blaine was fairly certain he'd have bruises later from how tightly Kurt was gripping his leg.

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Blaine yelped out suddenly, tapping Kurt's hand excitedly with his own. "Oh yes, we can definitely meet her on Sunday afternoon...Sure, she and her father can both come..." Kurt had grabbed Blaine's hand and was squeezing so tightly that both of their knuckles were white. "Three o'clock at our house. You have directions?... Alright. Thank you! Thank you so much!" Blaine jumped off the desk and grabbed Kurt by the waist with one arm, pulling him close. "We'll see you all then, I guess. Let us know if you need anything else from us."

He hung up the phone and they stared at each other for a moment.

"I will literally die if you don't start talking right now," Kurt whispered.

"Now Dr. Hummel, you know that's not possible - Ouch!" Blaine laughed and rubbed the back of his head where Kurt had whacked him.

"I swear to God, Blaine..."

"Her name is Cara. She's sixteen. She's almost seven months along and she took one look at our profile and loved us. She wants to meet as soon as possible, so the case worker is coming out with them on Sunday."

Kurt just stared and nodded, before biting the inside of his lip and blinking back a tear.

"I'm telling myself that I shouldn't get too excited just in case, but I really can't help it." He started to bounce a tiny bit as he spoke and by the end of his sentence he was jumping excitedly. Blaine laughed and wrapped his other arm around his husband's waist, picking him up off the floor just enough to swing him in a circle. They clung to each other as they laughed and cried. Blaine stumbled for a moment after his first spin and they regained their balance together, tears mingling on their cheeks. They kissed over and over between their laughter.

Kurt eventually pulled away when he heard his phone ringing. He wiped away the tears and pulled it from his pocket.

"Finn! Hey! You'll never guess..." Blaine watched as Kurt stopped talking abruptly. His face paled and grew serious. The doctor looked steadily at his husband and swallowed a quick lump that had formed in his throat. "...Yeah, a-absolutely. Of course we do. I mean, I just, let me talk to Blaine real quick to make sure we're on the same page... Right... I'll call you back in just a moment... Okay, and Finn?... I'm really glad you thought of us."

It was Blaine's turn to watch in anxious anticipation as the doctor blindly groped for a chair and sank down, looking like a zombie.

"Don't tell me that call was what I think it was?" Blaine laughed in disbelief. His humor died quickly when he saw the seriousness on Kurt's face. The taller man's eyes watered up once again, but this time in sadness.

"A two-year-old boy and an almost one-year-old girl... beaten and close to starved. They were taken from their mother yesterday and they need a more permanent placement." Blaine felt his heart breaking and sat down in front of Kurt, holding his hands.

"How soon can we take them?"

"Tonight. As soon as possible," Kurt replied softly. "Are you sure? Especially after knowing that we're going to meet that girl on Sunday?"

"Yes. I'm sure. Very sure. Never been surer. What about you though? Are you having second thoughts?"

"I want those babies safe in our house tonight, Blaine."

The nurse smiled and took in a deep breath before letting it out quickly.

"Wow."

"Yeah," Kurt laughed then. "Definitely, wow. So, remember when you convinced me that we should buy that really big house a few months back with all of the bedrooms and I thought you were ridiculous, but humored you because I love you?"

Blaine threw his head back and laughed before gazing back at his husband. "Yes, darling. Seems like I'm not so ridiculous now, huh?"

"Nope. You're a sheer genius." He smiled and leaned in to kiss Blaine with a little smack. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to be able to focus any more today. Let's see if we can get someone to cover for us and kick off early. We'll get the kids from school and have time to prepare them before Finn brings the little ones over."

"Sounds great!" Blaine jumped up and grabbed for the door handle. Kurt checked himself over make sure he had zipped and buckled everything back into place properly. His cheeks turned pink when he examined his outfit. He quickly stepped behind the door and out of sight. Blaine looked at him in curious amusement.

"What are you doing?"

"We must not have been as careful as we thought, babe. I kind of have evidence of our passion smeared onto my pants. Can you bring me your spare scrubs?"

Blaine looked him over and snorted a small laugh. He blew his husband a little kiss before scooting out the door and heading toward the locker room.

Kurt shut the door and quickly undressed, tossing his clothes to the side, waiting for the clean replacement. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror... underwear, socks and a stethoscope. He buried his face in his hands and groaned.

_Yup, I look like a perfect example of someone who should be responsible for five children. What the crap am I doing?!_

* * *

Brandi leaned weakly against the side of the hospital. She realized that it wouldn't be long before her strength gave out and she wasted away completely. She was going longer and longer without food and the days and nights were getting colder.

She told herself that this was the easiest way... to just give up and die, right here in the street. Less trouble for everyone else, not that anyone cared. She told herself that she didn't care either. She almost believed it. She told herself that it was pure coincidence that she had positioned herself right outside a hospital for what she was sure would be her final hours here on Earth.

Pulling the paper-thin sweater around her slim shoulders, she slid to the ground. Her face scraped against the brick of the building and broke her skin, but she barely felt it.

Just as she was closing her eyes and letting blissful numbness wash over her, she heard bright laughter. She blinked slowly and tried to focus her blurry vision in the direction of the sound. Laughter seemed so out of place to her and cut like a knife, mocking her situation. People shouldn't be allowed to be that happy. It wasn't fair.

Her eyes unfocused once again as she dazedly watched two men, holding hands and leaning in to kiss before they climbed into their car.

So unfair. So painfully unfair.


	2. Chapter 2

**Friday Afternoon**

"When are they coming, daddy?!" Addy was clinging to Kurt's hand and jumping around so crazily, he was sure she would dislocate his arm if she wasn't so small. He lifted her into the air and propped her up on his hips so that she could face him, her little legs wrapped around his waist.

"When, daddy? When?!" She threaded her fingers around his neck and bounced excitedly in his arms.

"Not for another hour, sweetie." He kissed the tip of her nose and leaned in so that their foreheads were pressed together. She giggled as she squirmed and bounced some more.

"What is with you, princess?" He laughed. "You're a little wiggle monster right now."

"I'm just so excited!" She yelped. "I can't stop wiggling till I meet them!"

"Well, we'll just have to see what we can do about that, huh?" Kurt raised an eyebrow at her before suddenly flipping her around in his arms and swinging her in circles. Her legs kicked happily as she screamed her laughter.

"How's that?" He spoke above her joyful squeals. "Am I helping you get the wiggles out?"

"Yes! Y-yeh-hes!" She laughed as he slowed and set her down.

Blaine looked into the living room from where he was chopping some vegetables and shook his head with amusement. Addy slowly made her way over to him, weaving around unsteadily as the spinning caught up with her.

"Addy, why don't you sit down right there on the floor for a minute. Daddy spun you really fast and you're going to trip on..."

_Thump_

"Frick!"

Blaine's head snapped up in surprise and he couldn't help but snicker when he saw Kurt holding his knee and hopping on one foot. The doctor heard him laugh and glared at him over the rim of his glasses.

Addy glanced over from where she had plopped down on the floor and giggled, pointing her finger at him.

"Thanks for your sympathy, guys," Kurt breathed out as he rubbed his knee gingerly and put a hand on the wall for balance. He hadn't anticipated how the spinning would affect him. He squinted one eye at his husband, hoping to regain his equilibrium. Blaine gave him a little mock pout.

"Do you not want me to say it's your own fault then?"

"Nope," Kurt grimaced as he limped into the kitchen. "I figured that out on my own. I don't need you pointing it out."

Blaine smacked him on the backside as he passed by to go and sit in a kitchen chair. Kurt cocked one eyebrow at him with a small smile.

"You have an obsession with my ass, you know that?"

"Who could blame me?" The nurse skipped over to kiss him on the cheek before going back to slice another carrot. Kurt just laughed and rolled his eyes.

"You okay, Addy?" The doctor called to the little girl as she finally stood steadily to her feet and bounced over to climb up on his lap.

"Yup! That was fun. 'Specially when you made yourself dizzy!" She sighed happily as she rested back against his chest. He laughed and hugged her close.

Blaine watched them contentedly while he finished making dinner. He smiled to himself as he thought about how they had all grown, personally and together over the last three years. Each pairing in their little foursome had their own unique relationship and interactions.

Kurt's dynamic with Addy was so different than his dynamic with Elly. Both Kurt and his son tended to be rather stoic and men of few words, preferring to take in their environment silently, then responding after much thought. Their interactions together would always bring out those tendencies. Sometimes Blaine amused himself by counting how many times the father and son would respond with a simple nod while conversing together.

With Addy it was completely different. She was Blaine's daughter, from her dark curls to her sensitive yet extremely playful personality. She alone could bring out the doctor's outgoing and childlike side. Seeing his husband act silly and playful with their little girl never failed to fill him with joy.

On the same note, Elly and Blaine had their own distinctive relationship. The nurse could bring out Elly's goofy, fun-loving side, while Blaine would enjoy having serious and heartfelt talks with the boy. The kind of talks that didn't happen as often between himself and Addy. She was usually busy bouncing and hugging everyone she met.

Elly and Addy had morphed into fairly typical siblings. They played, they fought, they tattled... they would have defended each other to the death. They had tried on occasion. Once, Elliott came home from the park with a black-eye from defending his sister. On another occasion, Addy came home from school with a broken lunch box. She had smashed it over another boy's head for teasing her brother.

No matter their differing personalities and dynamics, all four members of this little family had one thing in common. They all loved openly and with their whole hearts. They were all empathetic to an unbelievable degree, and wanted, more than anything, to spread the love in their special family to any who might need it.

That was why Addy was so excited. That was why tonight was so special. They were expanding and adding two more members to their happy bunch. Temporary members... but they would be loved all the same.

Blaine's musings were interrupted when Elliott quietly entered the kitchen. He grabbed his little footstool and moved to help Blaine with dinner. This had become a nightly routine for them. Whichever parent made dinner had Elliott as a helper. Elly absolutely loved to cook, and quite honestly they trusted him more when it came to anything sharp or hot. The other parent would clean up with Addy. She mostly loved to play in the bubbles as she washed.

"How are you feeling about the new kids coming tonight, buddy?" Blaine asked as he piled the vegetables he had just chopped into a colander for the boy to rinse. Elliott just shrugged and moved to rinse the vegetable without a word. The lack of verbiage was nothing new for Elliott. The lack of a smile was. Blaine immediately dropped what he was doing and stooped down so that he was eye-level with the child.

"Spill. What's bugging you?"

Elliott shook his head as if to say 'nothing', but his father knew better by now.

"I am not afraid to pull out the tickle gun for this," he lifted his arm and hand, shaping it like a gun and made little sounds with his mouth as if he was cocking a gun. "You better speak up. It's gonna get you."

Elliott was doing his best to stay solemn, but a smile cracked through his serious facade. He laughed when the nurse poked at him with the make-believe gun, tickling his side.

"Stop, daddy," he grinned, but quickly grew serious again when the tickling stopped. Blaine sighed and grabbed Elliott's hand, pulling the boy over so that they could all sit at the table together. The nurse sat down and pulled Elly into his lap.

"Tell us what's wrong, baby. Daddy and I can't help until we know," Blaine said, smoothing back the strands of hair that had fallen into Elliott's eyes.

"Well," Elly began, then paused. He looked up tentatively into his other fathers' eyes. Kurt was paying full attention now, still holding Addy, but focusing solely on the boy.

"What is it, honey? You can tell us anything." The doctor said softly. The child sighed and plopped his chin down in his palm.

"In school, a while back, we were supposed to draw pictures of our families. 'Member, Addy?" The little girl nodded solemnly without speaking, suddenly looking sad and like she might cry. Both fathers felt their stomach's drop, already fearful of where this was going. "I drew us, and then I drew bunches more kids." He stopped talking and looked down at the table. Kurt and Blaine's eyes met over the table before Blaine spoke softly.

"Why does that make you sad, honey?" Elliott tapped his fingers nervously on the table for a moment before responding, and then it was like a dam had burst.

"Jonah said that it was creepy that we have two dads instead of a mommy. Then he told me I drew it wrong cuz we don't have that many kids. I told him we're getting more and he said that he felt sorry for kids who became part our family cuz we'll all be freaks and we'll be teased every day."

The husbands met each others gaze from across the table. They both felt two things simultaneously. Their hearts being ripped in two, and a livid protectiveness that practically radiated from them.

"You two listen to me," Kurt spoke up in a gentle but firm voice, showing them he would brook no argument. "Daddy and I love each other very much. Do you know that?"

They nodded solemnly.

"And we love you both very much. Do you know that?"

Another nod.

"We will love any child that comes into this family just as much as we love each other. Right?"

"Yes, daddy," the both answered softly.

"Is there anything wrong with being a family that loves each other?"

"No, daddy."

"So, was what Jonah said true?"

"No," both children responded with a shake of their heads.

"But," Addy looked at him with tears pooling in her eyes. "It still hurts my heart, daddy." Kurt swallowed back his own tears.

"I know, princess. I know. I'm so sorry." He looked across to Elliott and reached out a hand to smooth back the sandy brown hair. "I'm so sorry, monster." Elliott hopped down from Blaine's lap and crawled into Kurt's. The doctor held them both tightly, crying a little with them.

At this point, Blaine's anger and heartbreak came to a head. He couldn't hold it back anymore. No one hurts his babies like this. He dove down onto his knees and put his arms around all three.

"Elliott? Adelaide? I want you to hear what I'm about to say and remember it." They attempted to sniff back their tears and look him in the eye. Kurt wiped a thumb across both of their cheeks, drying the tears a bit. He didn't bother with his own.

"There will always be Jonahs in the world. There will always be someone who doesn't understand. There will always be people who hate for no reason. Daddy and I want more than anything to clear all of those types of people from your paths, to make sure you never have to feel pain or hurt like this. Life isn't meant to be lived that way though. You can't hide from those people and we can't hide you away from them. We have to be better than them and prove them wrong. Show up their hate by being the most loving people we can possibly be. We might change their minds and help them to see that they're wrong... we might not. In the end, it doesn't even matter whether we've changed them. What matters is that we haven't changed ourselves because of them. Their ignorance and hate can't dictate how we see ourselves or how we live our lives. We are going to stay the same. You are going to stay the same. Daddy and I will love each other and love you. We will love these new kids who are coming from the bottom of our hearts. Do you feel good about that?"

Both children nodded happily, smiling at their curly haired daddy. Kurt watched his husband in awe, realizing anew how blessed he was to have found this man.

"Good. Then you keep being the amazing children you are. Be loving to others and know that you are loved." He kissed both of their cheeks and they wrapped their arms around his neck as he held them close. They jumped down from Kurt's lap then, looking like a weight had been lifted from their small shoulders. Blaine called to them once more before they ran off to play.

"Hey, guys?" They turned back to him with expectant looks. "Being loving doesn't mean you can't stick up for yourselves though, or others. You're allowed to stand up for what you believe in." Kurt looked down to his husband and smiled, quickly nodded his agreement. Addy and Elly grinned at their fathers again, calling another "Yes, daddies!" before rushing out into the back yard.

Blaine sighed heavily, looking suddenly exhausted. Kurt gently tugged on his husband's hand and pulled him up so that the nurse was sitting in his lap. They cuddled in silence for a moment, Blaine tracing light circles on Kurt's back with his fingertips and Kurt pressing soft kisses to the nurse's neck.

"You're amazing, baby," Kurt breathed. "You said everything perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a better man to be a parent with."

The nurse smiled and tipped his husband's chin up, leaning down for a feather light kiss before pressing in more firmly, enjoying the sensation of their lips and tongues moving together, tasting and touching. After a few moments, Blaine pulled back to catch his breath and gave Kurt a little eskimo kiss.

"Right back at you, baby."

* * *

**Friday Evening**

"Oh my god. This is it, Kurt. What if it goes horribly? What if they hate it here? What if they don't get along with Addy and Elly? What if..."

Kurt leaned in and silenced the nurse with a kiss, putting his hands on his husband's shoulders.

"Blaine, it'll be fine. They've been through a lot, from what we know. Let's not put any expectations on them as to how they should react or behave. We're just here to take care of them. We can do that."

Blaine took a deep breath as Kurt spoke and immediately felt better. He smiled when he thought of their dynamic and how they switched roles with comforting the other so easily. Earlier that day, Kurt had been the one freaking out and it had been his turn to be the calm one.

Addy clung to Blaine's hand and she let out an excited little, "Eeep!" when she saw Finn's car pull down their driveway. Elly had a finger hooked onto one of Kurt's and he looked up at his father, giving him a nervous smile. Kurt ruffled his hair and reached out his other hand to squeeze Blaine's. Their excitement and nerves were so palpable, the air was almost electric.

They stepped down into the driveway as Finn came to a stop. Time seemed to slow as the social worker opened his car and smiled softly at the family. The expression on his face brought back the full reality of the situation though. They knew when they talked to him this morning what kind of environment the children had come from, but their excitement to add to their family, however temporarily, had pushed aside the negative thoughts and fears.

The husbands gripped hands and held their breath as Finn opened the back seat and pulled out a baby girl. She had downy soft, blonde hair that hung limply around her too-thin face. A child that age should have been chubby and full faced, not skinny and wan looking. Kurt swallowed back his anguish and rage when he noted the small purplish bruises that covered her bare forearms. The rest of her skin was covered in clothing. He felt sick when he considered how many more injuries the little OshKosh outfit was most likely hiding.

The doctor held out tentative arms for the girl and she let herself be handed over with no fear or hesitation. She reached out a curious hand and lightly touched his glasses. When he smiled and nuzzled her hand a little in response, she relaxed even further in his arms and sank her head down on his shoulder. Kurt looked at Finn steadily as the social worker reached back into the car for the other child. The brothers exchanged a look that they both understood without words.

If they had their way, whoever had treated these children like their own personal punching bags would be burned at the stake.

Blaine stepped forward then as Finn scooped the two-year-old up and handed him over. The nurse took the child in his arms gently, observing the same thinness and bruising that Kurt noted on the little girl. The boy was slightly more hesitant though, holding himself stiffly in the man's arms while looking him over. Blaine smiled a soft and reassuring smile. He balanced the boy on one hip and cautiously took a small hand in his. The child looked at him curiously, before glancing down at his hand that was being held. He didn't squeeze back, but he didn't pull away. Blaine considered that to be a triumph.

Addy and Elly had caught on to the serious mood that had descended on all of the adults, and stood off to the side, feeling uncertain. Finn smiled at them and motioned for them to come over to him. They ran to his side in relief, glad to be a part of what was going on.

They were both fairly petite for six-year-olds, so he easily scooped the two of them up at once, one in each arm. Finn looked all six of them in the eye before speaking.

"Addy and Elly? This is Tia and Liam." The older siblings glanced at each other before smiling widely at the young ones in their fathers' arms. They said quiet hellos, still sensing that this whole experience was a little more serious than they had anticipated.

"Tia? Liam? I want you to meet Addy, Elly, Kurt and Blaine. They're going to take good care of you here at their house, okay?" Tia seemed to have already adjusted, comfortable and resting sleepily in Kurt's arms. The toddler looked at the social worker with serious eyes. This tall man had been a sudden, and much needed, anchor in the tormented chaos that was this young one's life.

Liam glanced back at Blaine and then over to Kurt. These two new grown-ups seemed to be just as nice as the really tall man. The ghost of a smile came and left, there for barely a second. All three men caught it though and smiled brightly at the child.

"Are you hungry, Liam?" Blaine asked the small boy as he turned to enter the house. He had been just as moved, just as angered by the appearance of the little ones, as Kurt. He only now trusted that he could speak without unintentionally sounding angry and scaring the child.

Liam looked at him, green eyes wide. These men kept wanting to feed him. These men were being so nice to him. He had no idea what to think. His tummy had been painfully hungry on so many occasions though. He wasn't about to turn down a snack. Especially if it was being offered so kindly. He gave Blaine a shy nod of his head and the nurse smiled.

"Well, we can fix that. Dinner is ready now." He set the boy to his feet when they reached the front door, reaching to turn the nob. Without a word, Elliott stepped forward and held out a hand. The toddler looked at the older boy for a moment before taking the offered hand and stepping inside. Tia saw her brother entering the house and squirmed to get down from Kurt's arms. He set her down cautiously, observing that she didn't quite have the balance to hold herself up yet. Addy quickly stepped up behind the baby, taking the hands that should have been filled with pudge in her own. She glanced up at her fathers for approval before starting to walk the baby girl into the house.

"Careful! Go slow, Addy!" Kurt called, biting his lip nervously as they both almost took a spill when Tia tripped over the front rug. The near fall elicited giggles from both girls though, and they moved on without a backward glance at the adults.

The doctor and nurse hurried in after the kids. They fell into a seemingly natural flow. Blaine checked on dinner. Kurt scooped Tia back up into his arms and told Addy to set the table. Elliott pointed to the swing set and sandbox in the back yard through a window, telling Liam they could play there after they ate.

Finn stopped at the doorway and leaned on the frame for a moment before entering. A slow smile spread across his face as he watched the scene play out before him. If anyone deserved to be happy and have the big family they always wanted, it was Kurt and Blaine. If anyone deserved to two parents that would love them, cherish them and help them to heal, it was these two kids.

It really couldn't have been a more perfect match.

* * *

Kurt looked up from where he was cleaning in the kitchen when his husband walked into the room.

"Is everyone settled?" Kurt asked, wringing out the dish rag he had been using to wipe the counters. Blaine shook his head with a laugh and motioned for the doctor to follow him. Kurt tossed the rag into the sink and took Blaine's hand, letting himself be led down the hall. To the doctor's surprise, they didn't stop in the bedroom that was meant to belong to Liam. They moved on until they were in Elliott's bedroom. Kurt put a hand to his mouth and smiled with a content sigh at the vision in front of him. Elliott was on his back in the middle of his bed, arms spread out to either side. Addy was on his right, lying a little more diagonally across the bed with both legs flung over Elliott's. Elly had his right hand threaded through her curls and was gently stroking them in his sleep. They had been doing this since they were three. Heartwarming as it was, this part wasn't new for the fathers.

What really took their breath away was the third figure in the bed. Liam was curled up as close to Elliott's left side as he could possibly get. The toddler had one arm flung over the older boy and his small blonde head was resting on Elliott's chest. One of Addy's hands was resting on top of Elliott too, holding onto the small boy's. Elliott had his left arm tucked snugly around Liam, and his fingers would occasionally flex and grasp, as if making sure that the toddler was still there.

Blaine smiled at Kurt and wrapped his arms around his husband's waist from behind. Pulling him close, he rested his chin on the doctor's shoulder.

"You're not going to try to move them to their own beds?" Kurt whispered. He could feel Blaine shrug from behind him.

"They're so content and sleeping so peacefully. I don't see any reason to disturb them."

Kurt nodded his head in agreement, stroking his husband's hands with his fingers.

"Did Tia go down okay in her crib?" Blaine nodded once again. He laughed though when he felt Kurt bounce anxiously from foot to foot after receiving his answer.

"Kurt, you can go check on her too. I'm not going to be offended," he smiled. Kurt jumped out of his arms and pecked him on the cheek before hurrying down the hall to the small bedroom directly off of their own.

The doctor slowed down once he got to her door and stepped inside quietly, not wanting to wake her. He needn't have worried. She was sound asleep, breathing out little breaths that were occasionally accompanied with a tiny coo or a sigh. His heart absolutely melted into a puddle when he took in the blonde wisps of hair framing her face, the pink lips forming a little heartshape and moving as she breathed, the bright flush to her cheeks...

_Wait. Flushed? She shouldn't be that flushed..._

He reached out a hand and touched her cheek. It was so warm, he could feel the heat radiating from her.

"Blaine," he called out softly, still concerned about waking her. The nurse hurried in, hearing the urgency in his husband's voice.

"What is it? Is she okay?"

"She's really hot. She definitely has a fever. Did she feel warm to you when you put her down?"

Blaine quickly stepped to her side and reached out a hand to feel her skin.

"She wasn't! I swear! She felt perfectly normal!"

"Blaine..."

"Oh my gosh. The first night we have them, one gets sick!"

"Blaine..."

"We don't even know her medical history, Kurt! What do we tell her doctor when they ask us? They're going to think we're irresponsible guardians!"

"Oh my god, Blaine..."

"It doesn't matter. She needs to be looked at. You stay here and I'll take her to the hospital..."

"Blaine!" Kurt had grabbed his shoulders by then and shook him slightly. The unexpected movement, along with the force in Kurt's voice jarred him back into the moment.

"Wow, I haven't seen you crack under pressure in a while. As always, it is incredibly amusing." Kurt smiled.

The nurse glared at him, not seeing a humorous side to this. He opened his mouth to snap something back but Kurt went on before he could speak.

"It's fine. It's a little fever. She probably WAS fine when you laid her down. We both know how fast these things can come on. We don't have to know every detail about them to be able to take care of them, at least for now. Nobody is going to think we're unfit guardians for goodness sake. And, seriously?" He shot his husband a disbelieving look at this. "Did you just insinuate that we would need to take her to the hospital to get her checked out?" He held his hands out in the air then, as if to say, 'Hello! I'm right here!'

"Oh, wow. I'm sorry, honey," he blushed, wrinkling up his nose in apology. "Thanks for snapping me back to reality. You're right, I guess I panicked for a sec. I'll get her and you go get your bag. I'll meet you in our bedroom." He kissed the doctor on the cheek before reaching down and scooping the baby up into his arms. Kurt just laughed and shook his head, kissing Blaine back quickly before stepping down the hall to grab his bag.

Moments later they were settled on their bed together, Blaine holding the sleeping baby in his arms and Kurt carefully examining her.

"Well, her ears look fine. The little glance I got at her throat wasn't too bad. A little red, but I highly doubt it's strep."

"Her adenoids are swollen just a bit," Blaine responded, reaching up a hand to lightly feel the sides of her throat.

"I'm sure we're just dealing with a little virus. Let's see how she does tonight, and if she gets worse we'll get her on an antibiotic." Kurt set aside the scope he had been using to examine her and brushed the limp blonde hair from her eyes.

"We should should give her some Tylenol though, so she can at least rest comfortably." Blaine pressed a kiss to her forehead and handed her off to the doctor. He stopped mid-step though and planted his face down in his palm.

"Kurt, we didn't get infant's Tylenol." The doctor looked at him in disbelief.

"You're telling me, that in car full of stuff we bought today... no, the TWO cars full of stuff... We, two medical professional parents, forgot tylenol."

They looked at each other in silence before cracking smiles and laughing at themelves.

"The hospital is actually closer than the 24-hour pharmacy," Blaine said. He pulled a sweatshirt and some trainers from their closet. "I'll run over and steal some of the free samples."

Kurt burst out laughing and Tia started in his arms before settling back into a restless sleep. Kurt grimaced and rubbed her back soothingly before turning back to Blaine with a grin.

"What?" Blaine asked with a curious smile.

"I just think you're adorable is all. You're the only millionaire I know who is tossing on an Old Navy sweatshirt to go and steal free samples."

"I'll up our quarterly donation." Blaine grinned, hopping on one foot for a moment as he pulled his sneaker on. "How many millionaires do you even know, though? Maybe this is perfectly normal behavior."

"Several, actually." Kurt stuck out his tongue. "I have to put up with them at hospital board meetings. None of them wear Old Navy and all of them would be sending out an assistant or a nanny to buy the Tylenol."

"Well," Blaine brushed a quick kiss to the doctor's cheek. "I'm nothing if not unique. Be back in a few minutes."

Kurt laughed to himself as he settled back against the headboard, cuddling Tia against his chest.

* * *

Blaine shivered and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head as he hopped out of his car, jogging up to the back entrance of the hospital. He was just about open the door when something caught his eye. A small, dark lump was settled against the side of the dumpster in the alley next the the hospital.

He didn't know why the bundle had specifically caught his eye. From here it simply looked like a bag of garbage that had missed it's destination. He took a few steps closer, heart beating fast for reasons he didn't even understand.

A small glint of white caught his eye, and he dashed forward, falling to his knees. The little bit of white was a small hand. He yanked back the dirty black cloth, realizing that it was a tattered men's overcoat. His heart nearly stopped at what he found.

A young girl, no older than fourteen or so. She was so very thin. Her collarbone was overly pronounced and her cheeks were hollow and gaunt. She was wearing clothes that were covered in grime and starting to wear thin. Limp, greasy hair hung into her eyes.

What really scared him though, was the expression on her face. It was almost peaceful, like she wasn't there anymore. He reached out in a quick, nervous motion to take her hand. It was absolutely ice cold. He fumbled at her wrist, desperately trying to find a pulse.

* * *

AN- Hello, my dears :) Please don't shoot me for the cliffy...

First of all, you're all freaking fabulous and I love you to pieces! Every follow, favorite, review and PM has given me the biggest smile!

I've finally found my way onto tumblr, yikes! I'll admit, I find it a little intimidating ;) Mostly, I've just posted updated story links... it's all I've figured out. Feel free to laugh at my expense.

I noticed on a few of your dashes, my friends, that you've put me on your recommended fics or authors lists. I just, oh my, just... I think I love you! Thank you so much for that honor!

The one thing I caught on to in my short time on tumblr was the pure pandemonium in fandom about the coming break-up. Holy hell! I get it though, truly. Who doesn't want Klaine to be together forever and to have actually smooched more than three times. If you don't feel the same way then you're most likely reading the wrong author right now...

In honor if this angsty chaos, and because I love you to smithereens, I have officially declared October to be "Happy One-Shot Month" here at PickingViolets. Send me your prompts, either by PMing me here, or by review if you're a guest, or submit it on tumblr. I'm picking-violets. Funny, silly, romantic, cotton candy fluff that will make your teeth fall out... I'll even throw some little smut bones your way (that was directed at a couple of particular reviewers... don't pretend you don't know who you are). We'll deal with the trauma together :)

Much love and sloppy cyber kisses,

PickingViolets

PS Chloe :) Thank you so much for sharing! I'm so happy for you, yet my heart goes out to you and little Aryne! I truly know what it's like to have an experience like that. Sending all my love and happy, healing thoughts your way, xo-V


	3. Chapter 3

**Friday Night**

Not long after Blaine left, Tia woke, even more feverish and crying. The doctor could tell by feeling her that the fever wasn't dangerously high, but he hated that she was so uncomfortable.

Two hours later he was still feeling bad for her, but was also tired and frustrated... not to mention irritated by the fact that Blaine should have been home ninety minutes ago.

Four hours later he was exhausted, stressed and freaking out. He had texted and called Blaine more times than he could count, with no answers to his texts and calls going straight to voicemail. Tia had been crying almost nonstop and his nerves were fried. It was also incredibly unlike Blaine to not come home and not answer his phone. The later it got, the more he worried he became, about both his husband and the baby.

By then he was pacing the floor with a screaming Tia, debating about waking the other kids and taking everyone to the hospital, or his dad's, he wasn't sure which. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Tia finally fell into an exhausted sleep, flush cheeked and sweaty. He froze for a moment, afraid to wake her, before sitting back down on their bed and holding her to his chest. He didn't even think about laying her down in her crib.

He glanced at his watch and saw that it is was five in the morning. Now that he didn't have a baby screeching in his ear, he could think a little more clearly. He picked up his phone from the bedside table and dialed the hospital to see when they had last seen Blaine. He didn't know why this hadn't occurred him earlier. His heart started to race a little as the phone rang. With his head now clear, he was able to focus enough to actually freak out. Disappearing like this was so out of character for Blaine. The only scenarios he could come up with were terrifying. He prayed desperately that the nurse had simply gotten side-tracked by an emergency at the hospital, and wasn't able to answer his phone. Lord knows, Kurt could understand something like that.

_"Lima Memorial."_

"Hi. This is Dr. Hummel."

_"Oh! Hi Kurt! It's Simone."_

Kurt opened his eyes wide in surprise. "What are you doing there? You should have been home hours ago."

_"I was home,"_ she sighed. _"I came in again. We've been over-run with patients and majorly understaffed. Haven't you talked to your husband? He's been here all night."_

Kurt sagged with relief and sighed. "That's what I was checking on. No, we haven't talked, but I figured it must be something like that. How bad is it?"

_"It's better now. Things have settled down a bit. The girl he's with though, Kurt... I just feel so terrible for him. For some reason it's hitting him the hardest of anyone here."_

Kurt felt his heart sink. "Why? What happened?"

_"He... Kurt, I'm sorry I have to go. We've got an ambulance._ _I'll tell him you called."_

Click.

The doctor sat there for a moment, holding his silent phone to his ear, trying to decide how he felt or what he should do next. He fell asleep before he could make up his mind.

* * *

**Saturday Morning**

Elly and Addy woke Kurt only an hour later, bouncing on top of him and claiming they were starving. He shooed them out quickly before they could wake Tia, then moved to put her down in the crib in her own room. The moment he shut the door though, he heard a pained cry float from the room and he leaned up against the frame for a moment, banging his head. He steeled himself with a deep breath before going back in to get her.

His dad and Carole found him close to tears thirty minutes later. A screaming Tia in his arms, a nervous looking Liam clinging desperately to one of his legs, and Addy and Elly trying their best to help by making breakfast. They were basically succeeding in making a flour and water paste that covered the kitchen floor.

Carole took one look at the circles under his eyes and that desperate look in his eyes... the one that said he might scream. She immediately took Tia and told him to go take a shower. Burt came up and gently scooped Liam up into his arms, telling the little boy how 'Grandpa Burt makes the best waffles ever.'

Kurt had never loved his parents more than in that moment.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later he emerged looking and feeling slightly human again. Carole had succeeded in lulling Tia back to sleep and had even managed to clean up the kitchen a bit with Addy's help. Burt was making waffles with the two boys. Elliott was giggling and stirring the mix happily. Liam was still quiet and looking incredibly uncertain. It was uncertainty mixed with awe though, as if he couldn't believe his luck. Kurt smiled softly at the toddler and walked up next to him, giving the child a little side hug and placing a kiss on his cheek. Liam dropped his head a little, with a bashful glance at the man, but there was a trace of a smile there.

Kurt took Tia back from Carole's arms and sighed heavily when he felt the still-feverish skin. He took one look at his step-mother and she smiled, patting his arm.

"Go on, sweetie. You probably need to get her on an antibiotic. We'll keep the others here."

"Thank you so much, Carole." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Addy jumped to his side, begging to come along and help. Plus, she really wanted to see Blaine. Kurt took one look at the soft curls framing her face and those huge hazel eyes that were so much like her father's, and couldn't say no. He smiled and tapped her nose, telling her to hurry and get her shoes so they could leave. The moment he put Tia in the car seat they had purchased, she started crying again.

His exhaustion immediately bitch-slapped him across the face. It was going to be a long day. He suddenly remembered that they were supposed to meet with the girl from the adoption agency tomorrow. He wanted to crawl into a hole and not come out again for a few days.

* * *

Blaine sank down heavily into a chair next to the girl's hospital bed. He sighed, pushing his glasses up onto his forehead and running a hand over his tired eyes before leaning back in the chair.

He had found the girl seven hours ago. Seven hours since he had raced through the emergency room doors with this feather-light child in his arms. He opened his eyes and leaned forward to look at her face. Well, teen he supposed, not child. She seemed like a child though. So small and helpless. Not much bigger than a large child. Lord knows she probably only weighed about fifteen pounds more than Elliott, and that wasn't saying much.

He slowly reached out and took one of the thin hands in his own, checking her pulse. After not being able to find one right away last night, he kept checking at random, just for his peace of mind.

He shook is head, feeling an overwhelming sadness flow through him as he softly held and stroked her fingers. She had managed one sentence last night. In the whirlwind of staff checking her, sticking her with needles, desperately trying to warm her... she had managed to mumble one sentence, so softly Blaine almost missed it.

"Please. Don't bother."

Blaine was the only one who had heard it, he was sure. Everyone else was still moving at a lightning pace while he seemed to freeze momentarily in time. He had looked at her closed eyes and shallow breathing, and wondered if he had imagined it. He couldn't take that chance. He had leaned down close to her and whispered by her ear.

"I will always bother. Don't you give up. I won't let you."

He had pressed a light kiss to her hair before straightening up and quickly helping the another nurse with a warming blanket.

He had sat there, all night. The E.R. had been overwhelmed with patients and understaffed that evening, and he couldn't bear the thought of this child being alone. Especially after what she had whispered. It also became apparent, after a few hours, that no one was coming for her.

All of their initial searches had left them empty handed. She had no identification on her. There were no police reports of missing girls that matched her description and Social Services didn't have anything on her either. For the moment, until she woke, she was a Jane Doe. This young girl, barely in her teens, had no shelter, no food, no clothing (they had disposed of what she had) and now, no name.

He sat by her in silence. Holding her hand. Hoping she somehow knew that she wasn't alone.

* * *

Kurt walked into the hospital, Tia in his arms and Addy trailing by his side. The first grader was happily toting a diaper bag that equaled about a third of her body weight, tripping a little every five steps or so when the weight of it caught up to her and tipped her backward. Kurt would catch her every time with a tired sigh and a slightly forced smile. He was never grumpy with the kids and it bothered him that he was on the edge of being so.

Simone and Lisa were standing at the nurse's station, leaning close and chatting when he walked down the hall.

"Hey there, daddy. You look like you're about to keel over," Simone patted his arm sympathetically. She took the diaper bag from Addy and swung the girl up onto the counter, handing her a sucker. Kurt was about to argue that it was too early for a sucker, but then decided that it wasn't a battle worth fighting.

Lisa took Tia from his arms and quickly swung her back and forth, attempting to soothe the whimpering child. She met Kurt's eyes for a moment, noting the deep purple bruises and how underweight the child was. He nodded in a tired way and gave her a sad smile.

"What can we do to help out?" Simone asked, giving him a look like he'd better not say no. Kurt smiled and held a prescription in the air.

"Get this filled for Tia and watch both girls for a few minutes while I track down my husband."

Simone snatched it from his hand before pointing down the hall to a patient's room. The two nurses took off with the girls and he felt as if he could finally breath.

* * *

The doctor's heart melted at the sight before him when he entered the patient's room. To be perfectly honest, he had been more than a little bit pissed at his husband since about midnight. The rational side of him had known that Blaine wouldn't have left him alone with a crying baby without good reason, but it was hard to be rational when you were that freaking tired.

He sighed as he sank down into another chair and ran a hand over the mess of dark curls. Blaine had fallen asleep with his face down in his arms on the edge of the hospital bed. He was wearing his dark framed glasses since he had been about to go to bed before the last minute trip to the hospital. They were pushed up onto his forehead and slightly askew. The doctor gently pulled the glasses away and folded them, sliding them into his pocket.

He sat back in the chair with his fingers clasped together under his chin as he observed the patient. He sighed heavily, taking in her appearance. Was it just him or were there an abundance of neglected children right now? He was already feeling overwhelmed and heartbroken over Tia and Liam. The sight of this girl was almost too much for him to handle. He took her chart in his hand, skimming through it quickly. His eyes widened when he read how Blaine had found her and taken care of her. He squinted, trying to read a messy note that Blaine had scribbled at the bottom of the chart. His heart stopped for just a moment and he felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes when he realized what it said.

_~When we first brought her in, she said to me, "Please, don't bother." When you work with this girl, please let her know that we care. That she matters. Whatever her story is, she needs this from us.~_

Kurt couldn't stop the tears that flowed out then. He looked at his beautiful husband, curls sticking up on end, circles under his eyes, holding onto the girl's thin hand. He could not have been more in love with this man if he tried. All thoughts of annoyance and irritation left his mind. How could he fault someone for loving just a bit too much?

"Blaine," he said softly, carding his fingers through his husband's hair once more. The nurse stiffened for a moment before lifting his head and blinking sleepily up at his husband. Suddenly his eyes widened in surprise and he started to look panicked.

Kurt smiled genuinely and continued to run his fingers through the curls. "Hello there. I can tell you right now that our bed would have been a much more comfortable place to sleep, though, actually, you may not have gotten any since there was a screaming baby in our room all night. You may have made the better choice."

"Oh my god! Baby, I am so, so sorry about last night! So much happened, and it was awful, and my phone died, and..."

Kurt leaned in and stopped him with a kiss.

"Hey. Just stop. I'm not mad at you. We're both in the medical field. These things happen. It was pretty sucky timing, but that's not your fault. I read her chart... honey, I'm sorry. It must have been awful to find her out there like that. I saw the note you wrote too. Oh my god, honey. I know you. That absolutely broke your heart, didn't it?"

Blaine glanced down at the pale, thin hand he was holding and nodded slowly.

"I couldn't leave her, Kurt. Not completely alone... I just couldn't."

Kurt nodded back, stroking his arm. Blaine looked back at the doctor with a sad smile and leaned over for another kiss. He let out a deep breath and squeezed the hand one more time

"I guess I've done all I can for right now though. She's really doing better. Her body temperature is back to normal and some of her color is coming back. We've been pumping her full of fluids, she was severely dehydrated. Simone took some blood to check her levels about an hour ago. I'm guessing they'll look much better now."

Kurt nodded, reaching over to hold the nurse's other hand. "Do we know anything about her yet? Has anyone come looking for her?"

Blaine shook his head silently. Kurt's heart sank as he glanced back to the pale, angelic looking face resting on the pillow.

"Was there any sign of..." He couldn't say it out loud. His heart was so heavy with the weight of the world right now. Even voicing something like that seemed like too much to handle.

"No." Blaine shook his head quickly. Smiling a little for the first time. Kurt sighed in relief. "Malnourishment, dehydration and slight hypothermia... But she seemed completely fine otherwise."

The doctor nodded, rubbing his hand over his eyes sleepily before plopping his chin down into his palm.

"What's the next course of action?"

"We wait until she wakes up. See if we can find out anything about her family. If there isn't anybody to care for her..." Blaine sat back roughly in his chair, showing his frustration. "Social Services steps in." Kurt furrowed his brow.

"What's wrong with that, baby? Look at Tia and Liam. They ended up in a good home with us. That can happen for her too."

Blaine looked over at his husband sadly and shook his head.

"It doesn't work that easily with teens, honey. So many people would rather take on little ones than teenagers. They see it as too much of a challenge. If she truly doesn't have a family, or at least one that is going to take care of her, it's not going to be easy to find a good place for her."

Kurt stared at him, heart starting to race.

"Blaine, I know what's going through your head. I can see it in your eyes. There is no possible way. We didn't even handle last night well! My parents had to rescue me this morning! It would be irresponsible for us to even consider taking on more kids. We don't even know how..."

The doctor trailed off then. Blaine was nodding in understanding, showing that he agreed.

Agreed in his head anyway.

It was obvious that his heart was saying something completely different. When Kurt stopped thinking for a moment, and just let himself feel... he realized that his heart was saying the exact same thing.

"Let's just see what we find out when she wakes up. We can go from there," Kurt whispered in a rough voice. Blaine's head shot up to look Kurt in the eye, completely surprised.

"You would be open to the possibility?"

"Blaine, I'm the one who specifically wanted a house full of kids... kids who really need us. Kids who have no one else. Kids that we can love. If we have the room and the money to take on more... why wouldn't we?"

Blaine blinked quickly, wondering for the millionth time if this man was real.

"I just have one request though."

"Anything, baby." Blaine grinned.

"If we are going to turn into the Von Trapp family and have tons of kids, can we hire a Maria like they did? I feel like we're probably going to drown if we try to do this on our own."

Blaine laughed then.

"Can we compare ourselves to the Brady Bunch instead and get an Alice? The dad in 'Sound of Music' ends up falling for the nanny. I'd prefer for that NOT to happen in our case."

"Sure, baby." Kurt leaned over to give his husband a kiss and pulled him to his feet. "We'll be the Brady Bunch... with much better hair."

"Alright then. You can have yourself an Alice." Blaine checked on Brandi one last time before squeezing her hand lightly, then linking his fingers with Kurt's.

"Oh, don't forget. We meet with the girl from the adoption agency tomorrow afternoon." Kurt looked at him pointedly. Blaine paled. In all of the drama, he had totally forgotten about the success of their original quest for a baby.

"Make that two Alice's. I think we're gonna need all the help we can get."

Kurt laughed and wrapped his arm around his husband's waist.

* * *

Brandi's heart was almost beating out of her chest. She had been slowly waking up over the last couple of hours, but hadn't found the energy to open her eyes or make any attempt at communication. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't cared to try at first. She was even a little angry that the doctors and nurses had worked so hard to save her. Didn't they know that they were only delaying the inevitable?

Now she was lying there, eyes still closed, working her hardest not to show that she was awake. She still couldn't believe what she had just heard.

She had a vague memory from last night of someone whispering in her ear...

_"I will always bother. Don't you give up. I won't let you."_

She honestly thought that she had been dreaming. No one would say something like that to her. No one cared that much.

Now she wasn't so sure though. The words coming from the two men next to her bed were like a dream come true.

_"Let's just see what we find out when she wakes up. We can go from there."_

_"You would be open to the possibility?"_

_"Blaine, I'm the one who specifically wanted a house full of kids... kids who really need us. Kids who have no one else. Kids that we can love. If we have the room and the money to take on more... why wouldn't we?"_

Brandi felt something, deep inside. It was a strange, niggling feeling that she didn't recognize. It had been so long, if ever, that she had felt it. Growing within her, warming her from the inside out, was a seed of hope.

* * *

AN- To my guest reviewers whom I cannot pm:

Arial, Chloe, plasma-snowcone, FrenchGirl, other anonymous guests... thank you so much for your reviews and your amazing words! Each one has made me smile :)


	4. Chapter 4

They came home late Saturday morning with Addy and Tia, the latter of whom was now happily medicated. Elliott barely seemed to notice that they had been gone, he was so engrossed in painting pictures with his grandma. Liam, though, seemed to sag with relief when they walked through the door. Burt was building a train track with the toddler in the middle of the living room, and when the two men got home, the boy's eyes lit up and he sighed out loud, looking at them happily. Burt noted the reaction and reached out a hand to ruffle the boy's hair lovingly.

"Happy to see them, huh kiddo?"

Liam just shot him a shy smile in response. Blaine came over and sat down next to them, pulling Liam into his lap.

Burt watched as his son-in-law interacted with the child, asking questions about his morning and telling him what an amazing job he had done building the track. Liam seemed to take on a glow as Blaine lavished him with attention, and the older man nodded in approval, thinking Kurt really couldn't have chosen any better.

Grandma and Grandpa Hummel stayed for lunch, enjoying spending time with their kids and grandkids. Kurt took the opportunity to talk with Carole about starting Liam and Tia at her daycare in a week's time. Blaine was going to take the next week off to be home with the new kids while they adjusted to their new life. Kurt had wanted desperately to take time off too, but it had been harder for him to get his shifts covered on such short notice. There were plenty of nurses looking for shifts at the moment, so Blaine had easily changed his schedule while they were still at the hospital that morning. The nurse was honestly looking forward to the time off, not to mention the quality time with their two newest additions. The only thing that bothered him though was not being there at all for the young girl. He had said as much to Kurt as they left the hospital, and his husband had assured him that he would check in on her as often as possible.

The rest of their afternoon went smoothly. Tia took as long nap, after which she was much happier, her fever having already gone down a bit. Liam looked incredibly nervous though, when Kurt suggested he lie down in the little bed they had bought for him. The doctor squatted down in front of him, smoothing back the blonde hair that come to life with soft waves after being washed last night.

"Would you feel better if I stayed in there with you for a little while?"

Liam nodded his head slowly, clinging to Kurt's finger with a small hand. Kurt didn't think twice, and did the same thing he had done with Elliott at that age. He crowded himself down onto the little toddler bed, curled into a slightly uncomfortable ball, and pulled Liam in so that the child could cuddle onto his chest. The two-year-old collapsed against him happily and was asleep in seconds.

Blaine found them thirty minutes later. He had been spending some time with the two older children, reading books and finishing homework, when he realized that Kurt had gone to put Liam down and not come back. He poked his head through the bedroom door and felt his heart swell at what he found. Kurt was crammed awkwardly into the little bed, with one leg hanging over the foot board, completely passed out. Liam was lying mostly on top of him, small fingers clutching handfuls of the doctor's shirt, sound asleep and breathing out in little sighs. This was the most relaxed he had seen the boy up until this point. The nurse pulled out his phone and carefully snapped some pictures of the two with a smile. He covered them both up with a blanket before going back out to join the others.

An hour later, Liam, Tia and Kurt were all awake, the latter having a major crick in his neck, and had joined the rest of the family. It was a fun, relaxing day, filled only with playing and eating. Kurt and Blaine focused as much on the eating part as they could, without making the youngest of their bunch sick by stuffing them. They were so desperately underweight and the two fathers could barely handle how the little ones were all skin and bones. Both men had happy memories of their own kids being plump, chubby-cheeked babies, and wanted the same for Tia and Liam. Tia adjusted quickly, happily taking anything that was given to her, as though this was how life had always been, though they knew differently. Liam was more hesitant, looking at them in disbelief when yet another little snack or sippy cup of milk was passed his way. He would eye the item cautiously, before looking around him, like he was waiting for someone to snatch it away. Blaine felt a sharp pang every time Liam seemed shocked by things that his own children now took for granted. Food, hugs, a kind word... these were a part of every day life for Addy and Elly. To Liam, it was like he was on a dream vacation and happily soaking up every moment before he was returned to his own personal hell. The nurse made sure to hold him extra long every chance he got.

* * *

**Saturday Night**

After a fun filled day and baths for the kids, all six curled up on Kurt and Blaine's bed for story time. This had become a nightly ritual ever since Addy and Blaine had moved in with Kurt and Elly so long ago. One or both dads would take the kid's favorite stuffed animals and act out a story. Each toy had it's own voice and personality and the kids found it hilarious. The men probably enjoyed it just as much as the kids. Tia and Liam watched with wide eyes as they danced and puppeted the stuffed animals around the bed, telling ridiculous stories with no real plot. After the final tale of the evening, they insisted that all four kids go to bed, as much for their own sake as the children. Both men felt about ready to drop, and the next day promised to be a big one.

They tucked Tia into bed first, Addy and Elly each taking a turn to hug the baby tight and kiss her cheek. Liam stepped up, with the first bit of aggressiveness that the men had seen, and wrapped little arms around his sister. They heard him whisper, "It's ok, Tia. Go sweep."

Kurt looked like his heart was about to break. The fact that Liam had felt it necessary to reassure his baby sister, even in this safe environment, spoke of how unstable their life had been.

The three oldest children begged once again to all sleep in the same bed. Well, the two oldest begged. Liam settled for a hopeful gaze. The dads gave in easily, really just wanting to sleep themselves. When all three kids were tucked under the covers in Elliott's bed, both men sat on the edge to kiss them goodnight, going down the line, one at a time.

Liam watched with his ever present, wide eyes. Addy and Elliott both took turns hugging each father around the neck and saying, "Goodnight, daddy."

When Kurt finally got to the small boy he held him close and kissed the top of his head.

"Goodnight, Liam. Sleep good, sweetie."

Liam watched him uncertainly before glancing over at the other two kids.

"Night, daddy," he whispered, mimicking what the other children had said.

Kurt froze with his breath caught in his throat. They had been referring to themselves as 'Kurt' and 'Blaine' to the little boy, and had honestly expected him to call them as such once he felt comfortable. This turn of events was beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time. He felt Blaine's hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles. He glanced back at his husband and Blaine gave him a reassuring smile. The doctor leaned in to kiss the boy's forehead, swallowing back the sudden emotions he was feeling.

Blaine scooted over and received the same, soft, "Night, daddy." Despite the fact that he was fully expecting it, the words gripped his heart like a vice. He held Liam close for a moment longer than he intended, and kissed the boy's hair.

"Night, honey."

When he stood, he saw that Kurt had already left the room. He flipped the light off and stepped out into the hall. His heart sank a little when he saw his husband sitting on the floor with his back up to the wall, staring blankly. He sank down next to the doctor and took his hand. Neither said anything. They were both thinking the exact same thing.

They were quickly falling for these kids, even after one day. Now Liam had called them both daddy.

This was temporary. They had no real legal rights. They had known from the beginning that foster care wasn't always permanent. They had actually banked on it, knowing what a strain housing foster kids can be on a family.

Now they were silently praying for one of two things. If the kids were going to be moved for any reason, they hoped desperately that it would be sooner rather than later. Even more so though, they were beginning to hope that they wouldn't be moved at all. That they could keep them forever.

* * *

Cara leaned back on her pillow, setting her bowl of ice cream on top of her rounded abdomen and reaching for the paper that was sitting next to her on the bed. She scooped a big bite of rocky road into her mouth before reading once again what she already basically memorized.

_Kurt Hummel- Age: thirty-three, Occupation: Physician_

_Blaine Hummel- Age: thirty-three, Occupation: Nurse_

_Married for two years_

She felt happy tingles flow through her as she went over the information in front of her. Both men had a child before they married. The doctor's son had been a foster child that he had adopted. The nurse's daughter was his through a surrogate from a previous marriage, but that spouse was deceased. They had adopted each other's children, so all were legally related. The couple was also registered as foster parents.

She wasn't sure what it was about this couple that she liked so much. She hadn't even met them. They could turn out to be as terrible as the previous couple. Deep down, though, she knew that wasn't the case. One look at the simple facts on the page told her that much. They both had careers that put them in caregiving roles, one father had fostered, both had adopted... she sighed happily, setting the paper aside and digging into her melting ice cream.

This was them. She just knew it.

And if for some reason, they turned out to be wrong for her... well, there was a whole new tub of rocky road in the freezer that she could drown her sorrows in. Sometimes it was the small things in life.

* * *

"Hey there. You're awake." Lisa stepped into Brandi's room with a soft smile and moved to her side. She checked her stats and replaced the empty IV bag before pulling a chair up closer to the head of the girl's bed.

"How are you feeling?"

The girl remained silent, staring at her hands.

Lisa pursed her lips, tipping her head to look into the young teen's face.

"Can you tell me your name, honey?"

Silence.

"Who can we let know that you're here? Do you have a number for a family member? Mom, dad, grandparent... anybody?"

Lisa watched as the girl stiffened then, eyes darting quickly to the side and then back to her lap. She remained resolutely silent though. The nurse sighed.

"You don't have to talk to me, honey, but you are going to need to talk to someone. We need to know how to take care of you. Is there anyone at all that I can contact?"

Lisa looked at the girl with caring eyes and waited patiently. Several long moments went by in complete silence. Just when Lisa was thinking that the girl wasn't going to talk, a tiny voice sounded in the room.

"Today..." Brandi whispered, surprised at how rough her voice sounded. She realized in that moment that it had been a long time since she had found a use for it. Lisa watched her expectantly, giving her an encouraging nod. The girl took a deep breath and spoke again, hardly believing her own bravery.

"Two men. Talking in my room. They thought I was asleep."

Lisa sat in surprise for a moment, wracking her brain, trying to think of who the girl was talking about.

"I think they work here. They were talking about doctor things. They... sounded really nice." She blushed deeply, looking down at her hands. A slow smile spread across Lisa's face.

"I'm pretty sure I know who you're talking about. Are you hoping you can talk to one of them?"

Brandi hesitated. It wasn't in her nature to reach out and ask for help, especially from complete strangers. There was something about the voices of those men though, along with the actual words they had spoken, that made her feel safe and comfortable. She swallowed away her fear and nodded quickly. Lisa smiled widely then. This was something she could definitely make happen.

"Okay then. I will try to get ahold of one of them. For right now I want you to try and eat something. Deal?"

Brandi nodded, trying to hide the shaking of her hands in the blanket. Lisa watched her in concern for a moment before patting her knee and going out into the hall. She paused, biting her lip indecisively for a moment before making up her mind. She was too anxious about the girl to wait until the morning. She went straight to the nurse's station and picked up the phone.

* * *

"Mmmmm... Oh my god. Ooohhh Kurt, this feels amazing!"

Kurt turned his head in amusement to find his husband snuggling down into their bed with a goofy smile on his face.

"Watcha doin' there, sweetie?" The doctor leaned back on their dresser, crossing his arms with an eyebrow raised.

"Enjoying the comfort of our bed," Blaine sighed contentedly. "I spent most of last night in a hospital chair. I am so sore and tired right now."

"That's all?" Kurt smirked. "Those were some intense sounds you were making. I thought maybe you were rubbing one out against a pillow or something."

Blaine looked up quickly to see Kurt shaking in laughter. He sent his husband a little glare.

"It wasn't THAT erotic sounding..." he trailed off and paused for a moment. "Okay, I see your point," he shrugged. Then he perked up and shot Kurt a seductive glance.

"Now that you mention it though..." he quickly pulled off his shirt and pants, sprawling backward on the bed and reaching his hands out for his husband. Kurt rolled his eyes, but laughed as he strolled over to the bed and climbed on.

"Is this what we've been reduced to?" He asked in low voice, running his hands up Blaine's chest. "Where's the romance? Where's the foreplay?" Blaine shivered involuntarily as Kurt straddled him and ran soft hands over his body.

"We've got four kids now, baby. I think we're gonna have to get used to quickies."

Kurt nodded with a laugh as Blaine reached up to undo his pants. Before he could slide them off though, Kurt's phone started to ring.

"No! No no no..." Blaine grabbed at Kurt as the doctor started to sit up with a sigh. "Just don't answer!"

"I have to, honey." Kurt zipped his pants back up and hopped off the bed. "That's my hospital ringtone and I'm on call."

Blaine groaned and pulled a blanket over to cover himself as Kurt answed his phone. The nurse quickly went from irritated to concerned though when he saw his husband's expression. Kurt listened carefully before responding with a quick, "She's still awake then?... Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes. Thanks, Lisa."

"What happened?" Blaine sighed.

"The girl is up and talking... somewhat," Kurt answered, tucking his shirt back in and leaning down to kiss his husband goodbye. "Apparently she was partly awake when we were talking in her room earlier and heard us. Lisa said she seems really skittish but mentioned how nice we sounded. I guess she only wants to talk to one of us. I'm dressed, and on call anyway, so I'll go. I'm sorry, sweetie."

Blaine looked up in surprise as Kurt pecked him quickly on the lips.

"Wow." He really didn't know what to think about this turn of events, and honestly, he was so tired that his mind wasn't making much sense. It was probably a good thing that Kurt was the one who was going.

As Kurt pulled away, his hand accidentally brushed up against Blaine's still decently-hard erection. He walked backward as he headed out the door, looking at his husband with a grin.

"Looks like you'll need to rub one out after all, baby. Do me a favor and please do it in the bathroom, or at least grab some tissues. I just washed the sheets."

Blaine glared at Kurt once again as the doctor disappeared down the hall. The nurse sighed heavily and drummed his fingers against the comforter, waiting for the front door to shut. He laid there for a moment, seriously debating about waiting up until Kurt came home. After about ten seconds, he shook his head and grabbed some tissues from next to the bed.

Who was he kidding?

He pulled up his best mental images of Kurt, shirtless, and groaned contentedly as he sank below the covers.

* * *

Kurt pulled his winter coat closer around him to ward off the chill as he stepped quickly through the hospital doors. He felt a little sick to his stomach when he remembered that Blaine had found the young girl only last night in this cold weather. He shook his head, trying not to think of how things could have ended, had Blaine not found her.

When he got to her room, Lisa was waiting for him with chart in hand. The night nurse smiled sympathetically.

"I'm so sorry for having to call you in right now, Dr. Hummel. I know how crazy things are for you guys."

"It's part of the job," Kurt winked at her. "I'm really glad you called though. She's obviously been through a lot and if she feels like she can trust Blaine or I... well, there's no way we'd ignore that."

Lisa smiled, and surprised him by leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"I know. That's what makes you guys so special."

He blushed a little as she walked away, before flipping through the chart and entering the room.

"Hi," he said kindly as he walked in. The girl watched him nervously as he settled into the chair next to her bed.

"I'm Dr. Hummel," he said with a smile, offering up his hand. She glanced at him cautiously before lightly placing her small, thin hand in his. He squeezed it gently before placing it back down on the bed and patting her arm.

"I'm so glad to see you awake. We were pretty worried about you."

She didn't respond, just kept watching him carefully. He leaned back in his chair and opened her chart once more.

"Can you tell me your name, honey?"

She just stared at him. He stared back.

"Can you tell me how you ended up outside the hospital last night?" He spoke softly then.

She still continued to stare. She didn't look nervous anymore though. She didn't seem too upset. She looked like she was contemplating and observing. He smiled then. A child who didn't like to talk that much. This was something he was a pro at.

"So," he crossed his legs and threaded his fingers together behind his neck, taking a relaxed pose. "I have a little boy, who didn't talk when he was little. For three years, he didn't say a word. Three whole years. Everyone around us was freaking out about it, and I have to admit that I was too by the end. Then, one day, he just opened his mouth and spoke. Just like that."

Brandi was looking at him in surprise. Clearly this wasn't what she had expected. She watched him uncertainly as he kept talking, pretending like everything was normal and that she was participating in the conversation.

"He's six now, and if you talked to him, you'd never even know that he went for so long without speaking. The point," he looked at her directly then, "is that there was nothing wrong with him. We just needed to be patient and wait until he was ready." He took a deep breath and pulled his hands away from his head, reaching out to take her hand once again. "When he finally decided to speak, do you know what I said to him?" She was so caught up in what he was saying, it didn't even occur to her that she was actually interacting with him by shaking her head, eyes wide and focused on his. He smiled at her and cupped her hand between both of his.

"I told him that I was so excited to hear him speak, but that he didn't need to do it to make me happy. I told him that when he felt that he had something important enough to say, that I would be there to listen."

They looked at each other steadily as the impact of this sank in for the girl. Kurt rubbed a thumb lightly over top of her thin hand.

"I waited for three years for him to speak and I would have waited for three more. That is the kind of patience I have. That is what you're up against, honey."

His grin spread further as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open just a bit.

"Now," he sighed, leaning back in his chair once again. "I know that you CAN talk, because you spoke with Lisa. Good choice, by the way. She's awesome." He winked at her and she blushed. "Also, I really would prefer it if you didn't make me wait that long. I could do so much more for you if I knew something about you, but..." he held his hands up in the air, "it's completely your choice. I'll be here either way."

She had glanced down at her lap then back at him, suddenly looking nervous. Kurt still just smiled at her softly, looking completely unfazed.

"I'll make you a deal. When you decide you're ready, we can trade questions. You can ask me anything and I have to answer it. It goes both ways though. A question for a question. No pressure, just an idea for when you're ready."

He propped his chin onto his linked fingers and watched her steadily. He was seriously ready to sit there all night if necessary, so it shocked him when she opened her mouth and spoke only seconds later.

"Who was the man that you were talking with, here in my room earlier?"

"My husband. His name is Blaine and he's a nurse here. What's your name, sweetie?"

A slight pause.

"Brandi. How exactly did I get in here?"

"My husband found you and carried you in. He helped to save you and then sat by your side all night so that you wouldn't be alone."

He watched as her bottom lip trembled and a look of disbelief crossed her face. He forced himself to hold his emotions in check, reaching out to hold her hand once more before asking his own question.

"Is there a family member or a guardian, someone who takes care of you, that we can call?"

She shook her head vehemently, looking just past him at the wall. He nodded slowly.

"Who do you live with then?" She snapped her face toward him, and he saw something akin to typical teenage attitude in her expression.

"It's my turn," she said quickly. He snorted a laugh but then nodded in her direction.

"You are absolutely right. I apologize. Ask away."

She thought for a moment, trying to come up with something good.

"Do you have other kids besides your little boy?"

"Yes. We have a little girl, who is also six, and we actually have two brand new foster kids staying with us who are two and eleven months. Now, tell me, Brandi. Who do you stay with if there isn't anyone taking care of you?"

She looked in the opposite direction when she answered in a quiet voice.

"I don't live anywhere."

He swallowed hard then, knowing that it would be necessary to involve Social Services.

"Did you mean it?"

He cocked his head and looked at her in confusion. She had spoken again, but was refusing to look his way.

"Mean what, sweetie?"

"I heard what you said this morning." She turned bravely then, and met his eye. "You and your husband were talking and you said that if I didn't have anywhere to go that you would think about taking me home."

He felt his heart race and he had to work incredibly hard at not reacting. He knew that he should avoid answering something like this. There were too many variables, too many unknowns. Sometimes giving false hope to a child was worse than temporarily letting them down. He looked her in the eye, and what he saw there felt like a punch in the gut.

Her life was hanging in the balance, waiting for his answer. Whatever he said next could make or break her. For whatever reason, this girl's hopes and dreams were pinned on him and Blaine. He looked into those wide, anxious eyes and gave the only answer he could. An honest one.

"Of course I meant it. Every single word."

* * *

AN- KlainerSV, Dkf, Beth aka Mummy, Chloe and other guests... Thank you!

*Beth, I got your prompts and they are on my master list now :) Checked out that page by the way. Thank you so much for recommending me! That made me smile!

*Guest with the pet store prompt. I put it on my list :)

Love,

PickingViolets


	5. Chapter 5

**Sunday Morning**

"Hey there, sleepyhead."

Kurt pulled his head from under the blanket and blinked slowly, before wiping the sleep from his eyes. The room slowly came into focus... well, as focused as it could be without his glasses... and his husband's face came into view. Blaine was crawling up on the bed and collapsed down next to him. Kurt smiled and lifted the covers a bit, inviting Blaine to come under with him. The nurse smiled and complied happily, but gasped in surprise the moment their bodies were pressed together.

"You're naked," he raised an eyebrow and gazed at the doctor lustfully.

"Mmmm," Kurt wrapped himself around Blaine and nuzzled into his chest. He closed his eyes again and started mumbling, still half-asleep. "It was so late and I was tired and I tripped over Tia's diaper bag trying to get to my dresser and smacked into the wall and I didn't want to wake you by turning the light on so I just stripped down and got in bed."

Blaine laughed lightly and held Kurt close to him. He absolutely loved it when Kurt was tired and disoriented. His normally well-read and incredibly articulate husband would turn into a rambling mess, and it was absolutely adorable. He flipped them over so that Kurt was on his back and started kissing him gently down the neck.

"Mmmm..." Kurt mumbled softy, still partially asleep. Blaine moved on to place kisses on his husband's bare chest, running his hands down Kurt's arms, feeling the lightly toned muscles there.

"Mmmm," Kurt hummed again, this time with a sleepy smile on his face. The doctor reached up and patted his husband on the back, eyes still closed. Blaine smirked, realizing he needed to step it up a notch. He quickly yanked his clothes off and reached a hand down to grasp Kurt's "morning hard-on" firmly.

"Oh." Kurt's eyes popped open at the touch and he looked at his husband with a slow smile. "Well, that's one way to get me to wake up properly." He reached up to thread his fingers through the other man's curls and pulled him down for a deep kiss.

"You are aware..." he reached a hand down between them to grasp Blaine's dick. "That you have no choice but to finish what you've started now, right?" Blaine snorted a laugh.

"Like you did last night?"

Kurt jerked back and looked at him with wide eyes.

"That wasn't my fault! The hospital called! You know I couldn't..." Blaine lunged back down and stopped him with another kiss before pulling back to smile at him and peck him on the nose.

"I know, sweetie. I was only teasing. I'm just saying you would have survived if you'd been left hanging like me and had to 'rub one out' as you so lovingly put it last night."

"Poor baby," Kurt gave him a mock pout. "Left alone with an erection that you had to take care of all by your lonesome. I'll make it up to you now. You can rub off on me."

"You're only saying that because you'll get to do it simultaneously," Blaine laughed, leaning in to push his now firm erection up against Kurt's.

"Not true. I'd let you do it even if I couldn't get off. Fortunately for me, I can."

Kurt grinned and pulled Blaine to him for another kiss which he deepened quickly.

"Are the kids okay?" Kurt gasped breathlessly.

"Baby's sleeping. Older three watching Nemo. We've got twenty minutes." Blaine groaned as Kurt latched onto his neck and brushed a nipple with his fingertips.

"Good. We can go twice." Kurt grinned.

They slotted their legs together and quickly found a rhythm, rutting at a hard and desperate pace.

The last couple of days had been so intense and full of emotions, that they felt incredibly pent up. So many things in their life were up in the air and chaotic right now. This was something that they both needed, not just for the release, but for the connection.

Soon they were panting and whimpering into each other's necks, desperately trying to keep quiet since the kids were awake and close by.

Their movements became erratic and stuttered as they thrust against each other a few final times. With each thrust, growing waves of pleasure coursed through their bodies, increasing in intensity until they had to smother their faces against each other, muffling their moans.

"Oh my gosh," Kurt panted as Blaine collapsed into him. "That was such a great way to wake up. Promise me we'll still have sex all the time, baby. Even though we're about to have a million kids. Cuz god, I don't think I could make it if we didn't." The doctor smiled and nuzzled up into Blaine's shoulder, but was surprised when Blaine rolled off of him suddenly and looked him in the eye, completely serious.

"What, honey?" Kurt asked, feeling concerned. Blaine never looked like this unless he had something heavy on his mind. Blaine stared at his husband for a moment, before swallowing hard and leaning in to kiss him deeply, parting Kurt's lips with his tongue and tasting every inch of him. Kurt's breath was completely taken away at the intensity and he fell back weakly, content to let Blaine kiss and caress him until they both had to pull away and catch their breath.

"I was kind of kidding about the whole going twice thing," Kurt tried to tease, but grew serious again when he saw that Blaine wasn't laughing. He sighed and sat up in bed, grabbing Blaine's hands in his own.

"What is it? What's bothering you?"

Blaine just looked at him intently for a moment before speaking.

"I want us to do this, Kurt... to take in these kids. I want it more than anything. It feel like it's what we were meant for. And I know that our lives are going to change, that's the point of all this..."

"But..." Kurt cocked his head to the side, looking Blaine in the eye.

"We," Blaine pointed a finger between the two of them, "You and I, can't change. We still have to make time for each other. We still need to be close, in every possible way... and I'm not just talking about sex. If we aren't intentional about making time for each other then..."

Kurt looked at him steadily. He gently took the nurse's face in his hands and placed a light kiss on his lips, before leaning their foreheads together.

"I'm not Alex, honey."

Blaine sighed and closed his eyes. Sometimes he was blown away by how well Kurt knew him.

"I will not pull away from you the moment things get hard. Even if we went for a month without sex, Blaine... I'm not going anywhere and I certainly wouldn't love you any less."

"Promise?"

"Yes," Kurt smiled, kissing him once more. Blaine pulled away quickly though and eyed him warily.

"Please don't tell me that we're going to go for a whole month without sex though."

"Blaine," Kurt laughed. "We do it in the locker room or my office at least a couple times a week. Even if things are crazy here, you know we'll find the time. We always do."

Blaine laughed too, nodding his head. "Yeah, you're right. We never seem to waste an opportunity, huh? I just... things are going to change for us... in a good way, but I don't want them to change in a bad way too."

Kurt reached over and pulled his husband into his arms. "They won't. I know that because I know us and I know our history. The harder things get, the closer we get. We are always drawn toward each other when things are trying. We're going to do the same now. You're right. This is going to change us. Our family dynamic is going to change and our relationship is even going to change... but change doesn't have to mean something bad. We're gonna be stronger and closer because of this. The fact that we're talking and aware of how big a deal this is... that's how I know we're gonna be okay. We won't fail and we won't grow apart because we won't let ourselves. This is you and me we're talking about, baby. It's gonna be hard, but we'll come out on the other side stronger, better and even more in love."

Blaine sighed contentedly and held Kurt close. He knew that what Kurt was saying was true. He had known it all along. Sometimes you just needed to hear it out loud though.

* * *

**Sunday Afternoon**

"Are we all ready?" Kurt was putting the finishing touches on Tia's hair, pulling the little blonde wisps into tiny pigtails that stuck straight up, held by two puffy purple bows. She looked up at him with a huge grin as she happily gummed some Cheerios that he handed her.

"Yes, I think we're good." Blaine wiped his hands on a dish towel as he cast an eye around the house. He and Kurt had spent the morning cleaning, baking and trying to distract the kids so that the house stayed presentable. Kurt put Tia down on the floor with some blocks and walked into the kitchen to take inventory. He eyed the plates of goodies that had been artistically arranged and shot Blaine an anxious look.

"Do you think that this is too much? What if she thinks we're trying to bribe her with snack foods so that she'll give us her baby?"

"It's not bribery, honey. We're just being good hosts," Blaine smiled. "And if she IS going to give us her baby, I feel like the least we can do is make her some brownies." Kurt bit his lip and crossed his arms anxiously.

"WE know that we're just being good hosts, but what if she doesn't see it that way? I just want it to go perfectly. It took this long for someone to even consider us. What if we ruin it being being overzealous? What if..."

Blaine walked over and put his arms around the doctor's waist.

"It. Will. Be. Fine. Please just relax."

He accented each word with a small kiss and Kurt sighed with a small smile.

"You're right. I'm just nervous about... Adelaide Joy! What are you doing?!"

Blaine turned sharply at Kurt's abrupt change of subject to find Addy standing there, smiling brightly, spattered with mud and holding the biggest frog he'd ever seen.

"What... Adelaide... Why is that thing in the house? Why are you covered in mud?" Blaine looked at her with complete exasperation. "What were you thinking?"

Her smile quickly faded when she saw how unhappy her fathers were. She looked at them cautiously, trying to gauge whether they were actually mad at her.

"We're supposed to observe wildlife for science class. I wanted to observe frogs. I found him in the yard, but he's all hoppy and I fell in the mud trying to catch him. Isn't he cool? I'm calling him Mr. Hoppy... cuz he hops."

Kurt snickered then, turning to hide his face behind Blaine's shoulder. Blaine closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh.

"Okay, just... it's alright, but you need to put that thing down and clean up right now. They're going to be here any minute."

She looked at them with a shrug, then dropped the frog immediately to the floor.

"Daddy meant outside, Addy!" Kurt yelped as he dove from Blaine's side.

"Oh, sorry," Addy looked surprised before dashing after the frog as it hopped away.

"What's going on?" Elliott asked as he jogged down the hall with Liam in tow.

"Help catch Mr. Hoppy, Elly!" Addy shouted as she leapt after her pet, just missing it with every jump.

"Quick, block the hallway so it can't go any further!" Kurt shouted as he desperately tried to catch the frog and skidded into the wall.

Blaine dashed toward the hallway, wincing as he saw his husband smack into the wall. He glanced around anxiously, trying to see where the amphibian had escaped to. His eyes widened.

"Oh my god, Kurt! Stop her!"

Kurt turned just in time to see the frog stop hopping, right in front of Tia, who immediately grabbed it and put it in her mouth.

* * *

"Wow." Cara swallowed anxiously as her father pulled into the driveway. "This is a really nice place, dad."

They both sat there for a moment, looking over the property. The house was a sprawling, stone ranch-style, seated on two acres that were beautifully landscaped.

"What if they're rich and snobby and think they're better than us, daddy?" Cara bit her lip anxiously. They weren't poor, but they they lived modestly, and it showed. She wanted her baby to be well provided for, but the thought of being looked down on by the adoptive parents hadn't occurred to her until just now. Her father reached over and took her hand.

"Car-bear, if they think they're better than us, then they aren't the right ones and we'll leave. Simple as that." She took a shuddering breath.

"It's getting close to the end though, dad. We're kind of running short on time here."

A knock on the window made them both jump and they looked up to find the case worker peering through the window.

Cara took a deep breath and squeezed her father's hand.

"Alright, let's do this. I guess we won't know until we meet them."

Her father winked and moved to open the door.

"Atta girl."

All three walked up the front steps and were about to knock on the front door when it burst open. Cara watched in shock as a curly-haired little girl ran past them, spattered in mud and holding a giant frog. From the doorway, Cara could plainly see the scene unfold.

A slender man with dark glasses, looking like he was uncharacteristically rumpled, was snatching up a baby from the floor.

"Oh my god, Blaine! She had it in her mouth! In her mouth! What do we do?!"

"I don't know!" A shorter man answered with slight panic in his voice. He ran a hand through his dark curls, making them stick up on end. He tried to move forward from his place by the hall, but was stopped by a toddler clinging to his legs.

"Put her in the sink and splash some water in her mouth to rinse it out." The curly-haired man reached down to grab the little boy and pull him into his arms.

"Elliott," the taller man called out to another little boy as he dashed to the sink. "Shut the door after Addy."

The boy darted forward at his father's words, but immediately slipped on some mud that had pooled on the floor and slid straight into the doorway, skidding to a stop at Cara's feet. He looked up at her in surprise, then gave her a shy smile. He tipped his head back and called out.

"Daddies? The girl with the baby is here!"

Both men turned to the door in slow motion. The dark haired man was standing on one foot to avoid another puddle of mud as he tried to pry the small child from his neck. The taller man was at the sink with water dripping from his hand as he attempted to rinse out the baby's mouth.

Cara felt a grin spread across her face as one thought went through her mind.

_Perfect!_

* * *

After their decidedly awkward introduction, Blaine had pulled it together enough to step over the mud and invite them inside. The guests had been shown into the living room and the nurse made small talk, all the while trying to peel a nervous Liam off of his face. Kurt took the time to frantically clean up the puddles of mud and hurry Addy into her bathroom, before rescuing Blaine from being smothered by the toddler. Liam finally consented to being put down when Elliott joined them, having changed from his own muddy clothes. Addy soon joined them too, now clean herself. She quietly played with Tia in a corner, wanting to make up for the chaos that Mr. Hoppy had caused.

They had chatted for a bit, getting to know each other and taking turns asking questions. It was painfully obvious how tense the couple was after their rough start though. Not long into their meeting, they excused themselves to the kitchen, realizing that they had completely forgotten to bring out the goodies they had prepared. Cara took the opportunity to step into the restroom, laughing about how the baby was jumping on her bladder like it was a bouncy house. Both men laughed weakly, trying to engage with her, but unable to shake the feeling that the whole thing was just a disaster.

"This could not be going any worse!" Kurt hissed quietly as he ducked into the kitchen after Blaine.

"I know!" Blaine whispered back tensely.

"Why did our daughter have to develop an interest in frogs TODAY?" Kurt banged his head lightly against the wall. Blaine looked at him sympathetically and moved over to pull his husband into his arms.

"Look... granted, we've not exactly started out on the best foot..."

"Blaine! They walked in to find two children covered in mud, one with a frog in her mouth and another clinging to you in terror! We could not have had a worse introduction! Now, you and I are both so tense and nervous that I'm fairly certain we're not even making any sense out there. She is never going to choose us!"

Blaine had no words. He knew Kurt was right. He sighed heavily and held the doctor close, rubbing circles onto his back and placing kisses on his cheek. Kurt sank into him and held him just as tightly.

"I can't believe that we've ruined it before we even got a chance, Blaine. She's seeing us at our worse. She won't see how much we want this baby. How much we'd love it."

Blaine still had no words. His heart was breaking as much as his husband's over this turn of events. He said the one thing he could.

"I love you."

Kurt pulled back and looked Blaine in the eye, before wiping away a tear and smiling sadly.

"Oh, honey. I love you too."

They gave each other one final squeeze, preparing to go back and finish with this disaster of an interview.

* * *

Cara stepped out of the bathroom and headed back down the hall to the living room. She was feeling so horrible for the couple. It was clear that they were unsettled by how things had started off, and she easily noticed that they were strained and not themselves. She had liked them immediately, despite their introduction, maybe even because of it if she was honest with herself. She felt more certain every moment that they were the ones. When they weren't being nervous and jumpy, their interactions with each other and the kids were so genuine and loving. Even at her age, she could tell that the tension came from their desire for her to choose them. She wanted so much to be able to reassure them, but didn't know what was acceptable protocol in a situation like this.

As she stepped down the hall, she heard voices from the kitchen.

_"Blaine! They walked in to find two children covered in mud, one with a frog in her mouth and another clinging to you in terror! We could not have had a worse introduction! Now, you and I are both so tense and nervous that I'm fairly certain we're not even making any sense out there. __She is never going to choose us!"_

_"I can't believe that we've ruined it before we even got a chance, Blaine. She's seeing us at our worse. She won't see how much we want this baby. How much we'd love it."_

She felt a warm peace flow through her.

_"I love you."_

_"Oh, honey. I love you too."_

She quickly made up her mind and stepped forward.

"Um, can I say something?"

Both men looked up in surprise at the voice, to find Cara standing in the kitchen doorway. They quickly pulled out of each others arms and tried to paste on smiles as they looked in her direction.

"Sure, sweetie." Kurt tried to will away the nerves that were threatening to overwhelm him. He stepped forward and pulled out a kitchen chair, offering for her to sit down.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, honest," she said earnestly as she took a seat. "I was just coming back from the restroom and I couldn't help but overhear."

They both blushed a little and glanced at each other before looking back to the teen. Cara smiled and reached out a hand to both men. They looked at her in surprise before each offered her a hand and sat down on either side of her. She squeezed them both and smiled again.

"When I first saw your profile, I was sure that you were the ones. I have no idea why, I just... had that feeling." They didn't dare to look at each other, their hearts were suddenly beating ridiculously fast. "When we pulled into your driveway though, I got nervous. I saw how nice your place was and I wondered if your life might be a little too perfect. I wondered if you might be rich and snobby." Her cheeks turned a little pink at those words and she wrinkled her nose apologetically. Blaine snorted a little laugh and Kurt smiled widely then.

"Oh, honey. We are so far from perfect, it isn't even funny. Though... today was a little funny I suppose."

Cara laughed a little, then smiled softly. "Exactly. It was funny and it wasn't perfect... which is why it actually was perfect."

Kurt and Blaine watched her intently, hardly wanting to believe what she was saying.

"I, um," she let go of their hands and placed her own on the bump in front of her. "I actually had another couple picked out. I had decided to give my baby to them. They seemed like they were just right. They were so put together. They really did seem like the perfect couple... then I heard them talking when they thought I wasn't listening... and they were terrible. They didn't act like they loved each other. They didn't even act like they liked each other. They had put on an act for me so I would give them my baby."

The two men blindly reached a hand across the table to link fingers, still watching her anxiously.

"With you guys?" She looked up then. "I saw you being real. Frogs get loose in houses. Babies put things in their mouths. Mud gets on things. I'm smart enough to realize that. I'd never not choose you because of those things. Seeing that craziness actually made me like you right away. But you know what made me think that you really are the ones that I should choose?"

They stared at her. Surely they had misheard her. Kurt gripped Blaine's hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"When I saw you just now. When you didn't know that I was watching. You were real. You were nervous about how I would react, because you really care. You really want this. You really love each other. How could I not choose you?"

"Did you just say that you choose us?" Blaine asked in a low voice before glancing at Kurt. The doctor gazed nervously at his husband before looking back at Cara.

"You just met us, honey. You don't need to make this decision so fast. We don't want you to regret it. This is a big deal."

She smiled and nodded. "I know. You're right. It is a big deal, but I spent a whole month getting to know the last couple and look how that turned out. I don't have that kind of time. When I look at you guys, it just feels right... and when I heard you talking just now... it confirmed it. I want you. I want you to have my baby."

Kurt put a hand over his mouth to cover the little sob that leaked out and Blaine dove forward from his chair, pulling her into a hug. She laughed out loud, hugging him back tightly before wiping away some tears of her own.

"Does this mean we're definitely getting a baby?" A little voice questioned softly.

All three at the kitchen table looked up to find a crowd at the doorway. The case worker and Cara's dad were smiling brightly. Addy had lugged Tia in her arms and set the girl on the floor, who promptly crawled to Blaine and reached for him. Elliott was holding onto Liam's hand and the little boy quickly ran to Kurt's side, climbing up on his lap. The doctor pulled the toddler to him and kissed the little cheek before looking at Elliott, who had voiced the question. He hesitated, still hardly wanting to believe it was true. He looked at Cara, who nodded with a smile.

"Um, it looks like it, monster. Cara just said she chose us."

Both Elly and Addy jumped for joy, the latter shouting and laughing. The six-year-olds ran to hug their fathers, and then surprised Cara by throwing their arms around her neck and hugging her too. She looked over the tops of the children's heads and looked to her father. He nodded in approval, his eyes looking suspiciously misty.

The case worker looked on happily. This was the kind of connection you dreamed of in an adoption case. It warmed her heart to see both sides getting exactly what they wanted and needed.

"Well," she said over the cheers and laughter. "Looks like we have some paperwork to prepare and some things to go over. I'll just go get my things." She left with a smile to get her briefcase.

Addy squealed again and ran from the room. Blaine watched her curiously and called out.

"What are you doing, sweetie?"

"Getting Mr. Hoppy so he can celebrate with us!"

It took exactly three seconds before the realization of what she had just said sank in. Both dads looked up with panic on their faces.

"No!"

* * *

**Sunday Evening**

After the children had been tucked into bed, the two men decided to relax in a bath together after their long day. One thing that they had looked for and splurged on in this new house was a gorgeous master bath, complete with a large whirlpool tub that they could easily fit in together. They took their time, stripping each other down and climbing into the hot water together. For a while they just relaxed against each other, kissing and enjoying the closeness.

After a bit, they started talking about everything that had happened, starting with Kurt's trip to the hospital last night. They discussed it for a while and agreed, that while they would remain true to their word and be open to the possibility of taking Brandi in, they would explore every option and avenue. There was still so much that they didn't know about her. She didn't divulge much to Kurt, except for that there was no family to take care of her. The police and social services would need to get involved before any type of decision could be made. The possibility of taking on such an unknown risk was a little scary, but they both felt deep down that Blaine had found her for a reason. That Kurt had connected with her so well for a reason. Whether it was so that they could be the ones to care for her, or just to help her get on her feet until someone else could take over. They felt confident that they were supposed to be a part of her life in some capacity.

They quickly moved on then to go over their time with Cara. They were still a little in shock at how fast things were moving, and that she had indeed chosen them. The case worker had talked over most of the details of the adoption with them and they had clicked right away on almost every detail. They both wanted a closed adoption, in that once the baby was born, Cara would no longer have a role in it's life. She knew that if she was going to be strong enough to do this, then she would need a clean break. Visitations would only make it that much harder. Kurt and Blaine agreed. They wanted the security of knowing that once all was said and done, the baby would be theirs and theirs alone. They weren't necessarily opposed to any type of connection between Cara and their family down the road. They just felt that for everyone's sake, a clear cut division would be best.

Both sides agreed though, that they wanted to spend the remainder of Cara's pregnancy getting to know each other better. Cara wanted to truly know who her child would be raised by. The two dads wanted the experience of watching their child develop while still in the womb, something neither of them been able to experience with Elly or Addy, and something they most likely never would. All three were afraid that the other side in the adoption would find this arrangement weird and distasteful, and were thrilled to find out that they were on the same page.

Both Kurt and Blaine knew that Cara could still change her mind. Up until after the baby was born even, she had a small window of opportunity before the papers could officially be filed. There was nothing they could do about that though. It was out of their hands. Cara and the two men had come as close to a thorough agreement as they could hope for. From here on out, they could only be thankful for what they had and hope for the best.

By then, the water had gone cold and they were exhausted and talked out. They dried each other gently and climbed into their bed.

Snuggling against each other in silence, they let the intensity of the day wash away as they kissed and caressed, filling each other with strength and the knowledge that they were loved by one another. Blaine pulled back from a kiss and looked his husband in the eye.

"I love you so much, Kurt. I love you for who you are. I love you for how much you love me. I love you for much you love our kids. I love you for how big your heart is. I am forever grateful for the fact that Addy and I came to Lima, of all places... and that I found you. I know all of this is huge, but if anybody can do it, we can."

Kurt looked at his husband, heart full, and reached up a hand to brush back a stray curl. He gazed into the hazel eyes, feeling for a moment that he couldn't breathe for all of the intense emotions that were flowing through him.

"You are absolute perfection to me, do you know that?"

They gazed at each other, breaths ragged, shuddering their bodies.

"Make love to me?"

"Always."

* * *

AN- klainerSV, Dkf, Clemence... Thank you so much for your amazing words!

My darlings, for those of you whom worry about our boy's relationship, and if this is too much... just remember. When have I ever let you down in the true love department? ;)

Much love and sloppy cyber kisses to you all,

PickingViolets


	6. Chapter 6

**Wednesday Morning**

"Good morning, my little house wife!"

Blaine looked up from the sink to shoot his husband a glare. He opened his mouth to make an irritated comeback, but then glanced down at himself. He had been making an especially messy breakfast that morning and hadn't wanted to get anything on his clothes. Unfortunately the only apron he'd been able to find was one that Carole had left behind from last Thanksgiving, and it was covered in flowers and ruffles. He smirked a little, then glanced back up at Kurt who was grinning at him widely.

"If I'm your housewife then you'd better bring me some flowers when you come home from work today." Blaine responded sassily.

"Done," Kurt ginned as he pulled on his lab coat. He turned then to call down the hall.

"Elly! Addy! Get moving! Teeth brushed and backpacks on. We need to leave for school in ten minutes!"

Kurt moved over to the kitchen table then and took a damp cloth to wipe down Liam's sticky hands before pulling the toddler into his lap.

"How was breakfast, honey? Did you like the pancakes Blaine made?" Liam nodded happily and Kurt grinned back as he held the small boy close.

After careful discussion, he and Blaine had decided to still refer to themselves as Kurt and Blaine to their foster kids. They were hoping that this would be a discreet way of getting Liam to think of them as caregivers, not parents. They honestly didn't mind, and secretly loved, when he called them daddy. They were worried about the repercussions though, if the time ever came for them to be taken away. They were currently waiting to hear more news from Finn about the status of the mother and whether another family member could try and claim custody. For the two dads, every day spent with Tia and Liam was a day spent more in love with the children. They were anxiously awaiting news that the kids would be able to stay with them more permanently.

"Okay, sweetie. I've gotta go to work. You be good, okay?" Kurt placed a small kiss on the boy's head and set him back in his chair. He leaned over then to cup Tia's cheek and give her the same kiss. She reached out a hand and touched his nose with a grin, squealing happily before jamming another soggy piece of pancake in her mouth. He smiled at her antics before turning back to his husband. He came up behind Blaine, putting his arms around the nurse's waist and kissing his neck.

"I'm gonna miss you today, baby," he said softly into the nurse's ear. Blaine turned around and looped his own arms around the doctor's waist.

"Me too," Blaine sighed, leaning in for a kiss. "A lot. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love this time at home with Liam and Tia, and a break from the craziness of the hospital is definitely nice, but one thing is for sure. I was NOT meant to be a full-time, stay-at-home dad." Blaine's eyes widened with a sightly crazed look and he shook his head slowly as he spoke. Kurt laughed a little, but looked at his husband with sympathy.

"What makes you say that?" Kurt asked.

"The fact that when you get home from work, I am so desperate for adult conversation that I was willing to listen to you talk for twenty minutes about that patient's infected ulcer last night." Blaine looked to the side in distaste. Kurt snorted a laugh and pulled Blaine close to him.

"I'll try to have something much more pleasant to talk to you about tonight when I come home." Blaine smiled at him appreciatively and pulled the doctor in for another kiss.

"Oh, is Cara still coming by today?" Kurt asked excitedly as he pulled away, reaching for his coat and bag. Blaine nodded happily.

"She should be here later this morning."

Kurt turned in surprise and looked at Blaine in disappointment.

"I wanted to see her! I thought she was coming this evening!"

"Relax, honey," Blaine smiled. "She's planning on spending the whole day here. I found out when I talked to her yesterday that her dad is out of town for a couple days. Apparently he's a truck driver and has to leave her on occasion for work. I couldn't stand the thought of her spending all that time alone, plus I really want to get to know her, so I asked her to come spend the whole day."

Kurt sighed. "This is gonna sound terrible, but I'm jealous. I want to spend a lot of time with her too. I want to be home with the kids. I want to spend more time with you! I wish so much that I could have taken this time off too." Blaine gave him a sympathetic little pout as he checked on Elliott and Addy's school lunches.

"I know, Kurt. Just remember though. The hospital board already told us that when we found a baby to adopt, they would allow us both to take paternity leave. We'll get twelve whole weeks at home when the baby is born, just us together with the kids!" Kurt nodded but laughed.

"They agreed so easily because we said we would take it unpaid, but I'm still grateful. It's going to be so great! We've never had time like that before. Time just spent as a family with no other worries."

They stepped together and held each other close. The smile on Blaine's face slid off after just a moment.

"Kurt?" He mumbled into the doctor's neck.

"What?"

"Please tell me that we'll still get out during those three months and have conversations with other adults though. I swear I'll lose my mind if we don't."

Kurt snorted a little laugh.

"Absolutely."

* * *

"Bye, daddy!" Addy flung her arms around Kurt and hugged him close before bouncing off to the school entrance.

"Bye, dad." Elliott spoke softly and clung to Kurt's waist, not letting go for a long moment. Kurt pulled back in concern and stooped down to his son's level.

"Are you okay this morning, monster?"

Elliott gave an indecisive shrug.

"What's up? Tell me, please," Kurt asked gently. Elliott eyed him carefully before sighing heavily.

"You know that kid, Jonah?" Kurt's stomach sank as he nodded slowly.

"Well, Addy and me were telling everyone at school yesterday about all of our new kids. Most the kids thought it was really cool and fun, but Jonah called us freaks again." Elliott looked at his father sorrowfully. "I know that he's wrong, daddy. It just makes sad."

"I get it, buddy," Kurt answered in a soft voice. "You're allowed to be sad if someone talks to you that way." He lowered his head to look his son directly in the eye. "Do you want me and daddy to talk to your teacher, or maybe Jonah's parents?" Elliott quickly shook his head.

"No. He's not hurting me, really. I just think it's sad that he doesn't know it's not nice to talk to people that way. I'm just gonna be nice like Daddy Blaine said, and show him that we're good people. He won't know unless we show him."

Kurt had to work hard to keep the tears from spilling over. He couldn't help thinking that if more adults thought this way, the world would be a better place.

"You're a lot like your daddy, you know that?" He said to Elliott with a smile. The boy grinned and kissed his father on the cheek before turning to head in to school.

"Hey, El," he called out. "You know that the other thing daddy said was true too though, right? That you are allowed to stand up for yourself and your family if you need to?"

Elliott rolled his eyes.

"Of course, daddy. I punched someone in the eye for Addy, remember? If anyone is mean to my family, I'll know what to do!" He turned on his heel and ran into school.

Kurt didn't know whether to feel proud or scared. He bit his lip anxiously.

_Oh lord. I just officially gave my son permission to beat people up. Thank God he has common sense!_

* * *

"Knock, knock?" Cara called down the front hall. She had knocked at the door, but no one had answered. She knew that Blaine was home, both because his car was in the driveway and because they had texted only minutes ago. She made her way down the hall cautiously, not sure if she was expected to just enter on her own. She tiptoed her way toward the living room, and couldn't hold back a little "Awww!" at what she found.

Blaine was sprawled out on the couch, one arm up and resting over his head. His other arm was snug around Liam who was collapsed on his chest, sound asleep. Tia was sitting on top of him too, but wide awake and happily chewing on a small teething ring. When the baby saw Cara enter the room, she let out a happy gurgle and held out her arms to be picked up. Cara smiled brightly and walked over to gently scoop the girl into her arms. It was a little awkward because of her already protruding belly, but she soon found a comfortable position in a rocking chair, and played with Tia quietly. Cara smoothed back the soft blonde tendrils that were escaping their tiny pigtails and gazed at the little girl happily.

She had learned a little bit about the two foster children on Sunday. Without divulging too much of their personal information, the men had shared what type of environment the kids had come from and how they were taking care of the two little ones, at least temporarily. Cara had taken notice of how underweight the children were, and of the bruises covering their skin. Only three days later she felt like she could see a difference in both kids. The bruising was turning from dark browns and purples, to lighter browns and yellows. They were still obvious and looked painful, but they were healing. The children also seemed to have taken in a vibrant and healthy glow. While they hadn't had much of a chance to put on weight yet, it was obvious what kind of affect eating regular meals was having on them. Their cheeks were filling out just the tiniest bit and they no longer appeared so frail that they would snap if you hugged them too hard. Seeing first-hand how these men treated children that weren't biologically their own made Cara more sure than ever that she was making the right choice.

"You know," she whispered softly to the little girl. "You struck it pretty lucky when this family took you in, sweetpea."

Tia giggled and crammed the teething ring as far as she could into her mouth, causing herself to choke for a moment before spitting it out with large amounts of drool. Cara laughed and wiped away the excess with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Did you know that the baby in my tummy is gonna be a part of this family too?"

Tia looked at her with wide eyes and made a soft O shape with her mouth. Cara smiled again and nodded. She knew that the baby didn't really understand, but it was fun to pretend.

"Yeah. This is one lucky nugget."

Tia laughed out loud then and clapped her hands together. Cara beeped the girl's nose with a smile.

"These daddies are gonna have their hands full, but they're pretty amazing. If anyone can handle it, they can."

She turned then, when she heard a rustling next to her, and saw Blaine stirring a little in his sleep. With eyes still closed, he reached out a hand sleepily to feel for Tia. When his hand came up empty, he grasped again, a little more frantically. His eyes popped open and he was about to bolt upright in panic when Cara reached out a hand to touch his shoulder.

"It's okay! I've got her, she's right here."

He looked over at her in surprise before glancing at a smiling, gurgling Tia. He dropped his head back on the couch, sighing in relief.

"I'm sorry that I scared you, and I'm sorry to have just let myself in. No one answered the door and I knew you were expecting me..." she trailed off awkwardly, suddenly feeling incredibly uncertain. She bit her lip for a moment before blurting out. "Oh gosh. I just totally overstepped my boundaries, didn't I? I do that all the time! I just feel a connection to people, and then it feels like they're my best friends, and then I get too comfortable, too fast and then I scare people off! It's like in Finding Nemo! I'm Dori and anyone I like is my squishy! I try to pet them and end up getting stung!"

Blaine just stared at her in amusement during her little tirade, before bursting into laughter. She smiled at him hesitantly, thinking that laughter had to be a positive response. When Liam started in surprise from the sudden movement and noise, Blaine rubbed him on the back reassuringly and sat up, still holding the boy close. He looked over at Cara with a bright smile.

"Oh, honey. You're preaching to the choir. I scare people away with my overzealous friendliness ALL the time. Just ask Kurt. I embarrass him constantly. Last time we went out to eat I hugged the busboy. Don't even bother asking me why I thought it would be appropriate," he said at Cara's questioning look. "Apparently I felt like he was a kindred spirit at the time."

"Daddy?"

Blaine looked down at Liam with a smile.

"What do you need, sweetie?"

"Juice?" Liam asked timidly. Blaine ruffled the blonde hair and stood, setting the boy on his feet.

"Sure thing, bud." He stooped to take Tia from Cara's arms and offered a hand to help the girl stand to her feet. Cara took it gratefully. At seven months along, she was already feeling like her equilibrium was completely thrown off, and standing up was no easy feat.

They made their way to the kitchen, and after setting the kids up with juice and crackers, Blaine and Cara sat down at the table together.

"I'm so sorry that I was asleep when you got here," Blaine grimaced. "Both of the kids kind of settled down on top of me and I was so exhausted..."

"Don't even worry about it," Cara smiled. "Tia and I played and chatted for a few minutes. It was fun!" The teen reached over to tug at one of Tia's tiny pigtails, causing the little girl to coo happily.

"She really likes you," Blaine observed gently.

"I love kids," Cara responded without looking at Blaine. "I've been babysitting since I was twelve. I haven't babysat since I got pregnant and I miss it so much!"

Blaine swallowed hard and nodded. This seemed like a scary road to go down. Hearing Cara talk about how much she loved children led him to wonder why she was giving her baby up. It was a question that he really didn't want to ask, but knew that he probably should. She looked over at him, noticing his sudden silence. She smiled sadly, realizing what he was thinking.

"I'm not going to change my mind, Mr. Hummel. Yes, I love children, and I do want to have my own someday. I even want to work with them in some way when I graduate... but I'm not ready to be a mom. I know that. Some girls can have babies at my age and do well, but that's just not me. I want this baby to have a stable home with two parents, and I want to be able to go away to college without worrying about being a single mom. It may sound selfish..."

"No," Blaine reached across the table to hold her hand. "It doesn't sound selfish at all. It sounds like you really thought this through and figured out what will work best for you."

Cara nodded thankfully and wiped away some tears that had escaped.

"Um, can I ask you something kind of personal though?" Blaine asked cautiously. Cara laughed.

"I'm giving you my baby, Mr. Hummel. If things go the way we discussed on Sunday, you're going to be in the room when I give birth. Let's just assume that nothing is too personal from this point on."

Blaine snorted a little laugh. "Good point. Before I say anything else though, I'm not Mr. Hummel. I'm just Blaine, and you don't need to call my husband Dr. Hummel like you did on Sunday. You can call him Kurt." When she looked at him skeptically he nodded his head quickly. "Trust me. I know my husband. If someone younger than him refers to him as Dr. Hummel it makes him feel old. You'll be doing us all a favor by making him feel young and calling him by his first name. By all means, stroke my husband's ego." She giggled and nodded.

"I can do that... Blaine." She looked at him pointedly with a grin.

"Good," he smiled. "Now, on to my personal question. I know that you're only sixteen, and you've talked about graduating and going to college. Why aren't you in school right now?"

She sighed. "I just wasn't comfortable going to school anymore. I went to an all girl's private school. They were really strict and not exactly the picture of acceptance when I showed up pregnant this fall. Dad and I talked and agreed. He got me a tutor, so I'm homeschooling for right now. I'll go back to school next year and graduate."

"I'm really sorry you felt like you had to leave school," Blaine said sympathetically. Cara just shrugged though.

"It's really okay. I kinda hated that school. I'm going to transfer to a public school next year."

"Well," Blaine went on with a grin. "The plus side is that we get to spend lots of time together since you aren't in school all day long."

Cara nodded eagerly. "It works out really well. We get to spend time getting to know each other and I don't have to be alone while my dad travels. He felt so much better leaving this morning knowing that I'd be spending time with you guys. He hates leaving me alone, especially now, so he doesn't take nearly as many jobs... Oooh..." she sat up straight in her seat and placed her hand on her abdomen, slowly letting out a deep breath.

"Are you alright?" Blaine asked anxiously. She took another breath and shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah," she smiled. "I think that this little nugget is taking up kickboxing though. Wowzer. I feel like a hole has been torn somewhere inside me." Blaine laughed and shot her a sympathetic look. When she met his eyes though, she could clearly see the longing there. She was afraid he might bite through his lip, he was trying so hard not to say anything. She nodded her head with a smile.

"You can feel the baby move if you'd like."

Blaine looked at her with wide eyes before diving to his knees. He placed both hands and his face on the large bump with a sigh of contentment. Cara laughed.

"Really, Blaine. You don't have to be afraid to ask me stuff like this. I'm a super physical person, so the touching doesn't bother me. Plus, one of the main points of us spending this time together is so that you guys can experience the pregnancy part of having a baby. I'm thinking that feeling the baby move and talking to it and stuff is a big part of that."

"Please repeat that to my husband. He threatened to take away all of my bowties if I was over-eager and scared you away." He looked up at her suddenly with one eyebrow raised. "SEE! I told you we were alike! I'm a Dori if ever there was one. You're in just as much danger of becoming MY squishy."

"We'll be each other's squishy then, and it'll balance out," she grinned. He laughed before placing his cheek back down between his hands, waiting to feel that elusive kick. He didn't have to wait long. A sound little thump hit him square on the cheek.

"Wowzer is right! Man! Your uterine wall is probably black and blue!" He pulled back and looked at her with a scrunched up nose. "That was a weird thing to say, wasn't it? I promise that I'm not socially awkward, I'm just a nurse. My brain goes straight to the medical aspect of things."

"It was a funny kind of weird. My kind of weird," she reassured him with a laugh.

He sighed in satisfaction once again as he adjusted his hands slightly to feel the baby's continued movements. He thought to himself that he couldn't wait to talk to this little one, and sing it songs, and feel it move every chance he got. He swallowed away a little bit of sadness, realizing that he was going to be able to experience this more than Kurt, at least for this week. Then it hit him that when he returned to work next week, his time with Cara and the baby would be just as limited as his husband's. He tried to push away the sadness though and focus on enjoying the moment. That's when inspiration struck.

"Hey," he said carefully as he pulled back to look at the teen. "I just had a thought..."

* * *

"Thank you, Mr. Hudson," the judge said evenly as she looked over at Finn. "You may step down." The social worker nodded respectfully and moved from the stand. As he passed the defendant, he received an ice cold glare. The woman was practically seething with rage. Her lawyer placed a restraining hand over hers when she started to move from her seat.

"Sit down, Mrs. Meyers!" The judge called from her bench. Everyone in the room froze at the finality in her voice. The woman took her seat once again and turned her steely gaze toward the judge, who was not impressed.

"Mrs. Meyers," the judge started with a deep sigh. "Words cannot express how saddened and angered I am by this turn of events. You have sat in front of me on five separate occasions now. Your oldest child, who is now," she adjusted her glasses and looked closely at the file in front of her, "...thirteen, was removed from your custody five years ago, so your history does not speak kindly for you. The two-year-old in question was already taken away from you twice as an infant, so in my opinion you've been given too many chances where this child is concerned. As for the eleven-month-old, she has never yet been removed from your custody on a suspicion of abuse." The judge sat back in her chair and took a deep breath. She brought her clasped hands to her mouth, and tapped them against her lips a few times, deep in thought. She looked up then, gazing steadily at every person in her court room.

"Typically, I do not completely terminate a biological parent's legal rights on a first offense."

The defendant's eyes brightened. Finn felt a stab to his heart and had to control his urge to jump up and scream that this was ludicrous.

"Typically," she repeated, looking Finn straight in the eye with one eyebrow cocked. He held his breath, waiting for her to speak.

"I don't feel this this child's case is typical though. You have proven time and again that you are not to be trusted as a caregiver."

Finn did an inner fist pump.

"I am hereby permanently revoking your parental rights for both children and placing them in the custody of Child Protective Services. I am also sentencing you to eighteen months in prison followed by five years probation."

Finn ignored the screams that were thrown in his direction as the woman was dragged from the court room. He met the judge's eyes with a smile. She didn't smile back, but the side of her lip twitched slightly as she stood from the bench. Finn stood in respect with the rest of the room as she removed herself to her chambers, before doing another fist pump. This time on the outside.

* * *

**Wednesday Afternoon**

Blaine jumped happily in his car. He was ecstatic.

He was getting a much needed break from the house for an hour or so, he had come up with a couple of solutions for the major concerns that had been plaguing he and Kurt, and he was going to surprise his husband at work. It was turning out to be a pretty spectacular day.

His phone rang just as he was pulling out of the driveway. He glanced down to see Paul flash across the screen. Warmth spread through him as yet another plan formed almost instantaneously in his mind. He couldn't believe that this thought hadn't occured to him until now. This day just kept getting better. He answered through his Bluetooth with a wide smile.

"Hey, Grandpa Paul! Your timing is impeccable... Yeah, well, I have a little proposition for you...

* * *

"What's up with you, Mr. Grumpypants?" Simone eyed Kurt warily as she approached where he was standing next to the nurse's station. He shot her a little glare over the top of his glasses.

"I don't appreciate being talked to in that way while we're at the hospital."

"No one is around to hear me," Simone rolled her eyes. "You know I'd never talk to you that way in front of a patient or a med student. Right now it's just you and me. We've been friends for years now, and you are being a Grumpypants. Someone needs to call you out on it. That's what friends do. Call you out in things."

Kurt gave her a steadying look. "Is that right? So, Simone. How are things with Lisa? Would you care to share about that?"

The nurse shrank back a little before huffing out a breath of irritation. She shook her head at him and immediately turned to walk away. Kurt was immediately flooded with guilt.

It was still unclear exactly what had happened between the two nurses. At Kurt and Blaine's wedding reception three years back, the two women had gotten close. Over the next few months it was obvious that something was going on between the two of them. They were constantly flirting and spending time together, and there had been one very memorable afternoon when Kurt had found them making out in the break-room, Lisa's top flung to the other side of the room and hanging precariously from the edge of a table.

Not long after that incident though, things changed, seemingly overnight. Simone came into work one day, sad and depressed, quickly shutting down when anyone tried to speak to her. When Lisa came in that evening for her shift with red, puffy eyes, Kurt and Blaine knew immediately that something had gone down. Kurt had tried to talk to Simone, but she had stalked off, refusing to talk about it. Blaine had gone to Lisa, but after sobbing in his arms for a few minutes, she had also declined to talk about it. And that had been that.

It had been a good two years since everything had gone down, and the two woman had found a way to be friends once again, at least when at work. Every once in a while though, Kurt or Blaine would catch one of the women staring at the other longingly. Whenever they tried to discuss it with the girls though, they were told that it was in the past and nothing would change. Kurt knew what a tender subject this was, and realized that his comment had been a low blow. He ran after her and grabbed her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Simone. I never should have said that. Please forgive me?" He looked at her sincerely and she slowly smiled before giving him a playful little shove.

"Jerk."

"Yeah. I am. Do you forgive me?"

She sighed. "I guess. Seeing as this is like the one time ever that you've been a jerk in all the time that I've known you." Kurt smiled and pulled her into a quick hug.

"Look, I was totally out of line to bring it up that way," Kurt said hesitantly, "but I just... I hate seeing both of you unhappy. It's obvious that neither of you are totally okay. Even after all this time." Simone just looked at the floor and nodded.

"I know, and I appreciate it. I just can't..." she shook her head slowly. Kurt sighed and pulled her into another hug. She hugged him close before patting him on the back and pulling away.

"Okay, back on topic. Spill. Why are you being so irritable today? This is so unlike you."

"I know," he shrugged apologetically. "It's a combination of things I guess. When I dropped Elliott off at school he told me that he and Addy are being teased by another kid. Our adoptive mother is at the house today and Blaine texted me that he got to feel the baby kick, so I'm immaturely jealous that I missed it. I'm worried about Brandi. She's improving health wise, but she doesn't seem to be making much head-way emotionally. I want to help her, but I'm not sure how. I really hate not having Blaine at work with me. It feels weird to know that he's not just down the hall if I want to see him or just... kiss him."

"I think the biggest thing though, is that I'm realizing more and more that it's going to rip my heart out if Tia and Liam are taken away from us." Simone watched him with wide eyes.

"Liam's calling us both Daddy, Simone... already! We haven't even encouraged it, but we're sure as hell not going to tell a toddler that he can't think of us that way if he wants to. It's not even been a week and I feel like I'm just waiting for Finn to call me up and tell me that the kids have to go to another home for some reason... or worse, that for some insane reason they'll go back to their mom. I feel like I would just die if that happened." Simone looked at him sadly, her mouth open as if she was trying to come up with something that would be helpful. She cracked a wide smile though instead and placed her hands on his arms.

"I can't fix most of those things for you, but by turning you around... I can make one problem go away." She turned him around then, ignoring his look of confusion.

There, striding toward him happily, carrying a large bouquet of daffodils, was his husband. He laughed when Blaine did a fancy little skip and held his hands up in the air as a sort of 'Ta-da!'

Seconds later Blaine had reached him and was pulling him into his arms for a kiss that took his breath away. The doctor pulled back and the daffodils were promptly thrust in his face. He laughed and breathed them in deeply before tipping them to the side.

"I thought I was meant to bring YOU flowers," he smiled. Blaine shrugged and pulled him back in for another light kiss.

"I decided to be spontaneous and surprise you."

Kurt made an 'Awww' face and moved to connect their lips once more. He stopped though at a little push on his back. Simone was shooting them a mock glare with her hands on her hips.

"That's enough boys. I can appreciate romance as much as the next girl but you don't need to shove your loveyness in a single mom's face. You can guess how often I'm getting layed. Take it to your office please."

Kurt looked offended and started to say something in response, but Blaine just grinned and grabbed his hand. He yanked the doctor quickly down the hall, leaving a flurry of daffodil petals in their wake.

"Don't come looking for us for at least fifteen minutes," he shot out over his shoulder.

"Fifteen minutes?" Kurt looked at him indignantly. Blaine blushed and shrugged.

"Thirty." He called down to Simone. "Don't come looking for us for at least thirty minutes."

"Much better." Kurt smiled, all the while trying to hide his red face behind what was left of the flowers.

* * *

"Why are you here?" Kurt asked as Blaine shut the door behind them and turned the lock. Blaine just pushed the doctor up against the door, yanking his shirt from his pants and sliding his hands up the doctor's back.

"Sex now. Talk later."

"Who has the kids though?" Kurt asked with a little moan. Blaine was rubbing and stroking everywhere under his husband's shirt, and lightly grazed a nipple with his fingertip.

"They're fine. Sex now. Talk later."

"It's only been since Sunday, Blaine!" Kurt laughed a little breathlessly. He couldn't help but curl into his husband contentedly though, as the nurse kissed and sucked on his neck. Blaine reached a hand down and slid it across the doctor's ass, hiking a leg up onto his own hip. Blaine thrust his already firm dick against Kurt's and ground into him, making the doctor whine needily.

"Yes. Two days. Two whole days. That's a lot for us baby." He never stopped kissing up and down Kurt's neck the entire time he was talking, making his words sexily mumbled. For whatever reason, that turned Kurt on even more and he clung tightly with the leg that was hooked around Blaine's hip, thrusting forward sharply.

"We were planning on it Monday night," Kurt said in a gravely voice as Blaine removed his lab coat and shirt in one tug. He pushed up the doctor's tee so that he could kiss and lick at one of Kurt's nipples, causing him to shudder and thrust forward once more, this time involuntarily. "What happened... Oooohhh... holy shit, baby that's good," the doctor groaned. "What happened Monday? I can't remember why we didn't end up doing it."

"Tia puked," Blaine responded simply, pulling Kurt's undershirt off before yanking away his own.

"Ah, that's right. Presumably from sucking on a frog the day before."

Blaine snorted a little laugh while he worked at Kurt's belt. "The word 'suck', spoken in that context, shouldn't be turning me on, but all I can think about is you sucking on my cock right now... so, yeah..."

Kurt rolled his eyes and helped Blaine with his complicated belt, something the nurse had yet to master.

"Why didn't it happen Tuesday... Ooohh fuuuuck..."

Blaine grinned as he reached his hand further into his husband's pants, grasping him firmly.

"Sex. Now. Talk. Later."

All Kurt could do by then was groan.

"What do you want, baby," Blaine whispered into his ear.

"Bend me over the desk and take me," Kurt moaned in a breathless voice.

The nurse grinned as he pushed his husband back toward the desk, stripping them both down completely. He quickly reached around and into the top drawer to pull out the lube and condoms Kurt kept stashed there. He leaned in, kissing the doctor one final time. He parted Kurt's lips and swirled his tongue inside the doctor's mouth, tasting and claiming every inch of him. When he heard a desperate whimper and felt Kurt's erection press almost painfully into his hip, he pulled back. He placed one last, soft kiss on his husband's lips before quickly turning him around.

Blaine gently pushed Kurt forward and down, so that his chest and face were pressed down on the top of his desk. He nudged Kurt's feet apart, rubbing a hand over one cheek and then sliding a teasing finger up and down the doctor's crack. Kurt whimpered again and spread his feet even further, lifting his ass up a little more, presenting himself and practically begging to be touched. Blaine stroked himself for a moment, incredibly turned on just by the sight of his sexy husband in this vulnerable position, desperate and waiting for his cock.

He quickly rolled on a condom, knowing that when Kurt was prepped, he just wanted to be able to dive right in... literally. He quickly sunk to his knees, spreading Kurt's ass wide with his hands and went to work. He didn't start with the slow, tentative kisses and swirls of his tongue like normal. He went for straight on sucking and tongue fucking. Kurt gasped and clutched at the edge of the desk.

"Holy hell Blaine," he choked out, quickly starting to writhe and squirm on the desk. The nurse kept up his work with his tongue while reaching over with one hand to squirt a generous amount of lube onto his fingers. He pulled back and stood as he slid his fingers down around Kurt's entrance, tracing around the already saturated hole for just a moment.

"Do NOT be a tease," Kurt sputtered in a low voice. "You can't freaking tongue fuck me and then go to light little touches... Oooohmygodyesdon'tstop!"

Blaine thrusted two fingers in quickly, moving in and out at a rapid pace. Kurt could only let out little moans of "Yes!" and "Please!", moving his hips with every thrust so that his husband's fingers were brushing against his prostate. Blaine added a third finger and then a fourth before quickly pulling out. He wiped his slicked up hand over his throbbing erection and bottomed out with one thrust.

Kurt was absolutely wrecked by that point. He had reached up one hand to grasp and pull at his hair, causing it to stick up on end and making him look thoroughly ravished. He had reached down with his other hand to start stroking himself, stammering little cries with every thrust.

Blaine placed his hands on Kurt's back and slid down to grip his husband's waist. He stuttered forward, feeling how near the end was. He only had few last thrusts in him.

Three... Sharp jolts of pleasure attacked his senses, spreading from his groin to every of his body.

Two... Behind his closed eyes, flashes of color sparked. The sharp jolts of pleasure turned into an intense wave. He was so close to that coming peak. He wanted to stay in this moment, where the fingers of his climax were edging their way into his senses. He could feel it closing in, building and throbbing. Every nerve was screaming for him to move and finish already, to feel that final, intense crash...

One... He screamed something. He wasn't sure what. His body shook and trembled as he clutched Kurt's waist so tightly that the pale skin turned an even brighter white. Even with his eyes shut, the room spun. The continuous waves of pleasure that were almost 'so good they hurt', washed over him.

He slowed his thrusts, calling Kurt's name in a broken voice. He could tell from his husband's writhing that he hadn't come yet, so he quickly pulled out, dove to his knees, whipped Kurt around and took all of the doctor's length in one go. Kurt grabbed his curls tightly with both hands and bucked forward with a small cry. The nurse relaxed his throat and gently massaged Kurt's hips, encouraging him to go for it. The doctor didn't hesitate and quickly lunged forward once again, thrusting in and out as swiftly as he was able. It only took seconds before he was pulling at the curls and coming hard down Blaine's throat, calling his husband's name. The nurse swallowed rapidly, and kept up a gentle sucking motion, until Kurt pushed him back with a breathless little laugh. He collapsed backward on his desk, breathing heavily with closed eyes. Blaine tied off the condom and tossed it in the trash before lying down on his back next to Kurt, letting out a sated breath.

"Okay. We can talk now, baby," he said in a voice still rough from the blowjob.

Kurt shook his head with a dreamy smile.

"Nope. Bask now. Talk later."

Blaine shook with laughter and sighed contentedly.

"Bask it is."

* * *

AN- This was a long ass chapter. Eeep!

KlainerSV- Thanks so much!... and you're welcome :) I'm hoping to not kill anyone with my writing...

Chloe- You amaze me. Keep being the amazing girl you are!

Guest- Hopefully this chapter answered the questions you had about Tia and Liam :)

Beth- Um, a following? Jeepers! I feel this sudden pressure... ;)

bookworm- Did you see what I did for you? Did ya?!

Love,

PickingViolets


	7. Chapter 7

**Wednesday Afternoon**

"You know, simple tissues really don't cut it in the cleaning up department," Kurt grimaced as he shifted uncomfortably. Blaine wrinkled his nose apologetically as he zipped his jeans and stooped to grab his tee from where he had tossed it on the floor.

"Sorry, baby. Don't you have spare scrubs in your locker though? Why don't you just take a quick shower in the locker room?"

"I think that taking a shower in the middle of my shift after you come to visit would be a little obvious to the rest of the staff." Kurt looked over at him with a little laugh as he uncomfortably adjusted his pants once again. Blaine burst out laughing and stepped over to kiss his husband on the cheek.

"I think that ship sailed when we ran into your office, locked the door, and screamed each other's names not ten minutes later."

"I didn't scream..." Kurt started with an indignant glare.

"Oh," Blaine said softly with an impish little smile. "You screamed, but I did too, so at least you're not alone."

"How do we retain any respect around this place?" Kurt covered his face with his hands in embarrassment. Blaine shrugged with a grin.

"We're good at our jobs. Plus, we're very likable."

Kurt snorted a laugh and was about to come up with a witty remark when there was a knock on his office door. Blaine looked over at his husband with questioning gaze.

"You good for me to see who that is?"

Kurt made a face as he wiggled a tiny bit.

"Good as I'm gonna get until I can really clean up."

Blaine smiled at how cute his husband looked, wiggling like that, and moved to answer the door. He was surprised to see his brother-in-law standing there with a huge grin on his face.

"Finn! Hey, man! What are you doing here?"

"I was just wondering the same," Finn looked at him questioningly. "I thought you were home with Tia and Liam this week."

"I, um," Blaine looked over hesitantly at Kurt, remembering that he hadn't shared his newfound plans with his husband yet. "I got a sitter for a bit. I came to surprise Kurt."

"Ah, well, cool." Finn stepped inside, giving both men a smile. It was obvious that he'd hardly heard a word that Blaine said though, and was literally bouncing up and down with excitement from an untold secret. Finn was an open book when it came to what he was thinking or feeling, and the two husbands looked at each other with a grin.

"What's up, Finn?" Kurt asked. "You're reminding me of the day that Puck dared you to eat that entire bag of sugar... right before you puked anyway."

Finn raised his eyebrows in amusement at the memory. "Easiest fifty bucks I've ever made. ANYway..." he looked at the other two men with unbridled happiness. "I have something big to talk to you guys about."

The doctor and nurse looked at each other with hearts suddenly beating just a bit faster, feeling sure that they knew which topic he was about to address. Kurt wordlessly motioned for Finn to sit down in front of his desk, before taking a seat behind it. Blaine scooted himself up on the side of the desk right next to Kurt, and reached out to squeeze his hand.

"So," Finn breathed out, "I was in court today, acting as a witness on behalf of Tia and Liam for Social Services."

At Kurt and Blaine's look of surprise, his excitement faded just a bit and he hurriedly went on.

"I know, I didn't tell you it was happening. I'm sorry if you're upset about that, but it's a really volatile situation. The mom is seriously unstable and I had no idea what kind of outcome we were going to end up with today. I know you guys, and if you had known it was happening, at least one of you would have insisted on being there. I didn't want to risk their mom knowing your faces if she was allowed to go free for some ungodly reason."

Kurt took in a deep breath and nodded slowly. "I understand, Finn. You're right," he glanced at Blaine, who nodded his agreement. "One of us would definitely have wanted to be there. You made the right choice."

"Good," Finn sighed in relief. "So, on to the good part," he smiled widely. Kurt and Blaine felt like the anticipation was going to tear them from the inside out. "The judge completely revoked her parental rights for both children. They are officially in the care of the state."

Blaine had to stop himself from jumping in the air and yelling with excitement. One glance at his husband told him that Kurt was feeling the same way. The nurse forced himself to react calmly though, knowing that the mother wasn't the only one standing in the way of Tia and Liam really becoming theirs.

"So, where do we stand?" He asked with bated breath.

"Where we stand," Finn answered with a now-serious smile, "is that the mother no longer has legal rights to her children. I've contacted all of the family members, which was a short list, and every single one said that they were not interested in taking care of the children."

"What about their father?" Kurt asked quickly.

"That," Finn rolled his eyes, "was a job in and of itself. She never married again after her first husband left her. We finally tracked down the boyfriend from that time period though, and he confirmed that the kids are his. He lives out in Vegas now."

Kurt felt his stomach drop once again, and was fairly certain that he couldn't take any more emotional surprises where these kids were concerned.

"Oh my god, Finn! Please just tell us where we stand!"

Blaine turned to the doctor with wide eyes and reached out a hand to rub soothing circles on his back. Finn just grinned.

"Sorry little bro. I'll hop to it. He seemed more than relieved when I told him that the kids were in a good home. He asked right away if they could just stay where they were. I told him that I would need to talk to the foster parents and see how they felt about it being a permanent situation. I also told him that he would need to legally sign away his parental rights if he wanted someone else to take care of them permanently. He asked how soon I could fax him the papers." Finn eyed them both, completely serious now. "So, now I need to know... how do you guys feel about this?"

The two husbands sat there for a moment in silence, hardly believing what was happening. Blaine just stared at Finn with wide eyes. Kurt cleared his throat roughly and glanced at Blaine.

"Um, we need to talk about it, I guess..."

"Fuck that," Blaine blurted out, yanking his cell phone from his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked as a slow smile spread across his face.

"Calling Nick and telling him he has more adoption work in his future."

Kurt grinned widely then and grabbed Blaine from the desk, yanking the nurse down onto his lap and hugging him as tightly as he could. Blaine yelped a little laugh as he felt himself tipping backward off the desk and turned to squeeze Kurt close. He pulled back after a moment and leaned down to kiss Kurt tenderly, whispering against his lips, "Is this what you want?"

Kurt only nodded and pulled him back in for another kiss.

_"Ahem," _Finn let out an awkward cough, but was still smiling happily. "Dudes, could you save the making out for later?"

The husbands smiled and laughed a little against each other's lips. Blaine hopped up off of Kurt's lap and shot an apologetic look Finn's way. Kurt just grinned at his brother, not feeling apologetic at all. He had caught his brother in compromising positions way too many times while growing up to feel guilty for kissing his own husband.

"I've got some paperwork to get together, and you guys should definitely talk to Nick, but if you guys are sure..." Finn trailed off and looked at both men steadily. When they glanced at each other and nodded happily, he continued with a grin. "Okay then. We're on the same page and we know where to go from here. Now it's just a question of getting everything in line legally. I don't see any issues though, since both parents are relinquishing their legal rights... willingly or not," he added with a sigh. "I'd say if it all goes smoothly we should be able to make this legit in just a few months."

Kurt decided he didn't care then whether Finn minded or not. He stood from his seat, grabbed his husband around the waist and pulled him in for another kiss. Blaine sighed contentedly and gripped the front of Kurt's lab coat tightly as he leaned into the kiss. Finn snorted a laugh.

"Um, I'll just go and let you guys be as kissy as you want in private." He was getting ready to leave when Kurt started speaking before completely pulled away from Blaine.

"Mmmph... Wait, Finn. I actually need to talk to you about another kid we have here." The doctor leaned in to place one last kiss on the tip of Blaine's nose. "We admitted a girl this last weekend that we're pretty worried about. I was hoping that maybe you'd try and talk to her with me while you're here."

"Is she in the system?" Finn asked curiously, stepping back into the office.

"We don't know," Kurt said in frustration as he sighed and sat down on the edge of his desk. Blaine scooted in next to him.

"I'm assuming we're talking about Brandi?"

Kurt nodded and they proceeded to tell Finn the whole story, starting from Blaine finding her until when she had finally opened up to Kurt.

"She won't tell us her last name or anything about her parents or guardians," Kurt told his brother in a sad voice. "There hasn't been a report placed for a missing girl around her age at all, let alone under the name Brandi."

"You've talked with the police and Social Services already I'm assuming." Finn crossed his arms in front of himself and leaned up against a wall, closing his eyes for a moment to think.

"Yes," Kurt answered. "A social worker was here today. He didn't get anywhere. Brandi refused to talk to him, point blank. I asked him about the possibility of Brandi being in the system somewhere when he was getting ready to leave. He said he'd check it out, but that sometimes a situation like this is like searching for a needle in a haystack." Finn nodded sadly with a heavy sigh.

"Unfortunately, that is the case. With no missing child report filed, no last name, no information whatsoever about her parents and family... it can be pretty tricky."

Finn looked up in confusion when Kurt just grinned at this.

"This, my dear brother, is why I love you," Kurt said affectionately. "The other social worker said that Brandi was 'a needle in a haystack', and left the hospital with a shrug. You merely said that this could be 'tricky', and I can see you formulating about ten different plans on how we could possibly help her." Finn smiled with a blush to his cheeks.

"Well, don't heap too much praise on me. As far as those plans go, nine out of ten will probably be a flop."

"As long as one of them works, the flops won't matter," Blaine piped up with a smile. "Why don't we all go see her right now. I haven't spoken to her since I found her last Friday and I'd like to see how she is. Do you think she'd feel overwhelmed with all of us there?" He turned to Kurt with his question. The doctor thought seriously for a moment.

"No, I think we'll be good. She made it clear on Saturday that she would have been willing to talk to either of us, I was just the one that came to the hospital. I've talked to her quite a bit about you and I get the feeling that she's excited to actually meet you. I also think that she'll only consider talking to Finn if I'm there. She refused to even nod or shake her head toward the other social worker until I was sitting next to her." They all looked around at each other and Finn took a deep breath.

"Well, let's go do it then. I'd love to help if I'm able."

They stood to move out the door, when Kurt stopped and shifted uncomfortably. "Um, give me like five minutes guys. I need to grab a quick shower." With that he dashed down the hall to the locker room, leaving Blaine to grin widely and Finn to stare after him in confusion.

"Why does he need to... oh dude. Tell me you weren't doing it in his office when I got here."

"We weren't doing it in his office when you got here." Blaine responded evenly.

"For real?" Finn asked in disbelief.

"Yup, we had already finished and were getting dressed by then."

* * *

Finn and Blaine were leaning up against the wall outside of Brandi's room, looking over her chart together, when Kurt came jogging down the hall. He was sweeping damp bangs back off of his forehead and pulling his scrubs top into place as he made his way toward them. Finn was absorbed in the chart still, but Blaine took a moment to appreciate the view. The doctor was unintentionally giving everybody a glimpse of lightly defined abs as he tugged at the hem of his shirt while running down the hall. Blaine watched with a smile as a couple of twenty-something girls standing in the hallway gazed after him with dreamy eyes. The nurse looked straight at the girls and winked when Kurt got to his side, linking hands with his husband and bring the pale fingers to his mouth for a kiss. Kurt just smiled in surprise and kissed him on the cheek before entering Brandi's room. Blaine thoroughly enjoyed the disappointed and envious looks that were shot his way from the two girls, and followed behind with a satisfied smirk.

"Hey, sweetie," Kurt said in a soft voice as he entered the room. Brandi looked up from the magazine she was thumbing through and started to give a little smile in response, before noticing the other men who had also entered the room. She immediately shut down and refused to meet their gaze. Kurt sighed heavily and motioned for both Blaine and Finn to follow him. They had paused, seeing the girl's hesitance at their presence. The doctor walked over and sat on the edge of Brandi's bed, taking her hand in his own. Finn sat in a chair near Kurt, while Blaine moved to stand at the other side of Brandi's bed. The nurse had to fight to keep back his tears at seeing the girl. He had been so terrified that first night that she wouldn't live to see the next day. Now, seeing her sitting up in bed, reading a magazine, with a tiny bit of color in her cheeks... it felt miraculous.

"Do you remember my husband, Blaine, who I told you about?" Kurt asked gently. She looked up in surprise then, first at Kurt and then at Blaine. The nurse moved in closer and took a seat on the edge of the other side of the bed. "I'd like to officially introduce you to him, now." She turned wide green eyes to meet Blaine's.

"Brandi... Blaine," Kurt said with a smile. "Blaine... Brandi." He waited a moment before going on. "Blaine's the reason you're with us today, honey," he said in a soft voice. "He saved you." Brandi's eyes widened even further as Blaine gave her a gentle smile and took her other hand in his own. He then reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. His fatherly instincts felt like they were about to explode from within him and the need to protect her was overwhelming. He had to settle for smoothing back her hair. For him, this was an insignificant move that barely spoke of his true emotions. For her, this simple act flooded her with the sense that she was cared for, that she was loved. She had absolutely no idea how to respond, so she just stared.

"You're looking much better already," the nurse said quietly. "It's good to meet you when you're actually awake," he attempted a little joke. She cracked an itty bitty smile. Kurt's eyes widened and he shot Blaine a sideways glance, encouraging him to continue.

"So, how are you feeling?" Blaine asked cautiously. She merely shrugged in response, but kept her gaze on him.

"I hear that my husband has been taking care of you this week. Has he been a good doctor? Cuz we have comment cards here at the hospital. You can tell me if his bedside manner was just horrible and I'll fill one out for you." Brandi looked at him like he was crazy at first, but seeing the laughter in his eyes, she broke out into another faint smile.

"Seriously. He won't learn any other way. If he was a terrible doctor, you just need to let us know. I'll set him straight."

Kurt was shaking his head and shooting Blaine a little glare, but he was shaking with laughter too. Brandi looked between the two of them with wide eyes, before letting out a small giggle. They laughed too, pretending that hearing her giggle for the first time was the most natural thing in the world.

"No. He's a really good doctor," she said softly. Blaine met her gaze again and nodded.

"Yeah. I know. He's kinda the best. That's why I married him."

She blushed a little as she looked between the two once again, this time with a shy smile on her face. She had never once in her life seen a married couple act this way. She was in complete and utter awe.

Finn had initially sank back into the hospital chair at Kurt's side when they entered the room, wanting to observe quietly. He had sensed right away that Brandi was a little freaked out by the prospect of meeting new people. He decided to make himself as invisible as possible at first, letting his brothers do the actual interacting. He was smiling to himself at the automatic rapport they established with her. He couldn't help thinking that if they ever decided to change careers, they would be a hit as social workers.

His eyes widened though, the moment she spoke. He knew that voice. He would never in his life forget that voice. His stomach clenched and he had to fight everything within himself to not bolt out of his chair and pull the young girl into his arms. He was kicking himself for not remembering her name right away, but it had been five years... and he had been so sure that she was safe. He swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in his throat and rose to squeeze in next to Kurt. The doctor looked at him in surprise, but went pale when he saw the seriousness on his brother's face.

"Brandi?" Finn said quietly. She slowly lifted her head to looked up at him with shock showing visibly on her thin face. Finn took one look into the wide green eyes and knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was the same girl. She was five years older than the last time he had seen her. She looked like she had healed in some ways, yet been further injured in others. His heart was aching at the sight of her. He really had thought that she was finally safe...

"Mr. Hudson?" She gasped in a tear-filled voice. Finn nodded slowly.

"It's me, sweetie. I wasn't sure if you'd remember me."

She nodded quickly as tears streamed down her face.

"I never forgot you. I kept hoping that you'd come and rescue me again. I kept dreaming it, but you never came! You never came! I started thinking that maybe I had just imagined you..."

Kurt and Blaine watched the scene unfold with astonished expressions. Tears were pouring down Brandi's face as she spoke in the most forceful tone of voice they had yet to hear from her. She was almost sobbing by this point and Finn was shaking his head slowly, tears filling his eyes.

"You didn't imagine me, honey. I'm right here. I..."

"Then why didn't you come!"

Silence filled the room. Kurt quietly removed himself from Brandi's side, letting Finn scoot up closer to the girl. Blaine stayed on her other side, looking uncertain but continuing to hold and stroke her hand. Finn moved up a little on the bed and took the thin hand that Kurt had let go of, holding it close to his chest. He had opened his mouth, desperately trying to find something to say, when she flung herself into his arms.

"You rescued me from my mom, Mr. Hudson! Why didn't you rescue me from my dad?! Why?" She was sobbing uncontrollably by this point and her voice was so broken that they could barely understand her. Finn was visibly shaking as he held her close. "I waited and waited but you never came! I couldn't wait anymore! I had to leave! I couldn't wait anymore! I couldn't..." She trailed off then, sobbing so hard that she could no longer speak.

Kurt was standing off to the side, a trembling hand held over his mouth, ghostly white in his shock. Blaine was still sitting on the edge of the bed, silent tears streaming down his face. He raised a shaking hand to gently rub her back as Finn held and rocked her. The social worker was fighting desperately to not break down and sob along with the young girl in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Brandi. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't know! I didn't know..."

They stayed that way for a long while. The broken sobs of a young girl filled with room, alongside of the deafening silence of absolute heartbreak.

* * *

Kurt walked into the break room half an hour later, feeling heavy and sad. After Brandi's breakdown they had decided to give the girl and the social worker some time to talk, and had quietly slipped from the room. Kurt felt sick to his stomach from her words. Part of him desperately wanted to know what was being said between the two of them. Part of him wanted to remain ignorant. He had tried to distract himself with taking care of a couple of patients. Thank God today was a slow day, as he had been incredibly distracted for the last couple of hours.

Blaine had slipped into the break room before him a couple of minutes ago to make some phones calls, which Kurt assumed were about the kids. The nurse glanced up with a small smile at his husband, holding his phone to his ear.

"Are you sure you're okay? I feel absolutely terrible for leaving you like this. I only meant for it to be an hour or two... Okay," he smiled. "If you're sure. We've got a pretty big crisis happening at the hospital so I... fine, fine. I'll stop trying to explain and just be grateful, which I am. My dad is going to pick up Addy and Elly from school in a just a bit and bring them home. He's agreed to stay with all of the kids until we can get there."

Kurt smiled to himself at Blaine's words. About a year ago, Blaine had started referring to Paul as dad. It was obvious from the start that Paul had been a welcome addition to their family. The kids called him 'Grandpa Paul' happily and he was definitely a father figure to both men, but mostly to Blaine. Kurt had his own loving father, whom he was incredibly close to. Blaine had no father that he could claim in that way, and Paul's son had died tragically. It was natural and what both men needed. Blaine got a dad. Paul got a son. The kids got a second grandpa... it was perfect.

"Oh no, you don't need to stay that whole time. Why don't you go home when he gets there and you can come back tonight... No! Of course we want you to! I just didn't want you to feel obligated. I mean, Kurt and I won't even be there for a bit yet and the whole point was to spend time with us... Well, yeah. We'd love for you to just spend time with the rest of the family too... Thanks, sweetie... You're pretty amazing... Ha! Well, I hope so. Kurt seems to think so." He turned to wink at his husband then, but Kurt just smiled a little, still watching him curiously. "Okay. We'll be home as soon as we can." He burst out laughing and shook his head. "Bye, squishy." Blaine hung up his phone to find Kurt staring at him oddly.

"Um, should I be concerned that you were just talking very affectionately on the phone with someone and ended with calling them 'squishy'?"

"Not in the slightest," Blaine said with a tired sigh. He plopped himself down in a chair and held his arms out for his husband. Kurt came over, still looking a little hesitant, but let the nurse pull him down onto his lap.

"I'm gonna fill you in on what's going on now, finally, while we wait for Finn." Kurt looked at his husband expectantly, running his fingers lightly through the dark curls. Blaine nuzzled into his hand with a little content little hum.

"Alright, my little puppy," Kurt laughed. "I'll pet you more when you've spilled."

"Well, I've come up with some great solutions to our current concerns."

"And those are?"

"Well, the concerns are... A. We want to spend as much time with Cara as possible, which will be hard once we're both working full-time again... B. We need help, both with the kids and around the house... and C., a concern that you aren't as aware of yet, Cara is going to be spending a lot of time alone because of her father's work."

Kurt nodded in agreement, still trying to figure out exactly what Blaine had planned.

"So, one our solutions is this. Cara comes to stay at our house every time her dad has to travel. That way she doesn't have to be alone, we get to spend a lot more time with her, and we get some help with the kids. That's who I was talking to, if you haven't already figured it out. She offered to stay with them for a bit today so I could come surprise you at work."

"I don't know if we should be asking the sixteen-year-old pregnant mother of our soon-to-be adopted baby to be our regular babysitter, Blaine. It just feels like an awful lot to ask of her." Kurt looked at him warily. Blaine nodded quickly.

"I know. I would have thought the same thing, but you should have seen her with the kids this morning. She's a natural. They love her and she told me that she used to babysit all the time and misses it. When I suggested that she possibly stay over with us while her dad is traveling she was so excited. Not just because she wouldn't have to spend the time alone, but because she would be able to help out with the kids. She's so lonely right now, Kurt. She's homeschooling until after she has the baby and I think she's alone almost all of the time. She's so much like me, baby. It's almost uncanny. Just try to imagine me, stuck at home, feeling ostracized and lonely."

"Oh honey," Kurt gave a sad little laugh. "You'd curl up into a little ball and die."

"Precisely," Blaine replied, rubbing a hand on his husband's thigh. "See. This works for everyone." Kurt sighed as he thought for a moment.

"Well, I'm all for it. I'd love to spend more time with her and she seems like a great girl. What about her dad, though? He's gonna come home and think we've tried to abduct his daughter."

"I talked to him on the phone this morning," Blaine reassured quickly. "He actually seemed pretty relieved. I think he feels that he can trust us because he knows how thoroughly we were screened through the adoption agency. I also think he was feeling a little freaked out by the thought of her being alone. This is a win-win." Kurt nodded again, but bit his lip hesitantly.

"We were talking about getting an adult to help out though, honey. We are going to need some serious help including driving the older kids places, picking Tia and Liam up from daycare, helping around the house. What we're talking about with Cara is more like some light babysitting."

"I know," Blaine answered with a bright smile. "That brings me to my second solution. Let me introduce you to our newly hired Alice, babe." He grabbed his phone from his pocket and pulled up a picture to show Kurt. The doctor grinned when he was presented with a picture of Paul, holding Addy and Elly both on his lap with a wide smile.

"I think that we'd be safe calling him Maria if we wanted. There is absolutely no danger of either of us falling in romantic love with him."

Blaine snorted a laugh and put his phone away.

"I thought of him today and I couldn't believe that it hadn't come to me sooner. The kids love him to death. He knows everything about them and how we like to do things around the house. He's so lonely and bored since he retired. We don't need to go through the process of interviewing and hiring a stranger. He's perfect."

"You're right," Kurt smiled softly. "He really is. You're sure he doesn't mind though? I hate to think of taking all of his free time, and lord knows he wouldn't let us pay him." Blaine laughed.

"You should have heard the excitement in his voice when I brought up the idea. I think he was actually disappointed that I didn't need him right in that moment. Plus, when I mentioned that he might end up spending some time with Cara he practically went through the roof. He said he couldn't wait to spend time with his grandkid that is 'still being baked'." Blaine did finger quotes then to show that he was repeating Paul exactly, and Kurt shook his head in amusement.

"Well," the doctor reached up a hand to push his glasses onto his forehead, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I am happy with every solution, as long as everyone else that matters is on board." He settled his glasses back into place before leaning down to kiss Blaine softy on the lips. "You did good, baby."

The nurse smiled happily and leaned onto Kurt's chest as the doctor wrapped his arms around the nurse's neck and started threading his fingers through the curls once again. They sat that way in silence for a few moments.

"Soooo, do you want to explain 'squishy'?"

"It's a 'Finding Nemo' reference that Cara and I bonded over." Blaine sighed contentedly. "Now just let me enjoy snuggling with you and not getting stung."

Kurt cocked an eyebrow, but kept running his fingers through his husband's hair.

"You are so weird."

"But you still love me, right?"

"Even more for your weirdness, I think."

"Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"You're my favorite squishy."

* * *

It was about fifteen minutes later when Finn walked out of Brandi's room, almost mechanically. Kurt and Blaine had left the break room by then and had taken to restlessly pacing outside the door. It had been almost forty-five minutes since they first left, and they were more than a little anxious. They jumped to attention the moment Finn showed his face. The taller man simply said that she was asleep before wordlessly nodding his head toward Kurt's office and heading down the hall.

They entered the room quickly and all found seats around Kurt's desk. Finn lowered himself into a chair, but stayed there for only a few seconds before shaking his head in agitation and walking to Kurt's window. He crossed his arms over his chest and breathed out heavily before speaking.

"Five years ago, Rachel and I moved back here from New York. Hailey was three by then and we knew we wanted more kids. We decided that we wanted to raise them near family. By my mom and Burt... and by Rachel's dads."

Kurt knew this already, and although Blaine had never heard it from Finn's mouth, he knew the gist of the story. They just listened without responding, knowing he was working himself toward something big.

"I had only ever worked on the adoption side of social work in New York. I had never been a case worker in this type of agency before. I didn't realize how lucky I was. I rarely saw heart-breaking cases. I had no idea how much it could kill you inside to see children hurting like this, every single day."

There was silence for a moment. Finn stared out the window and the two husbands watched him with compassion.

"I started my job here, and the first day... my very first day..." He took a ragged breath. "We got a call about an abuse suspicion, so I was sent out. I went to the house, and at first I didn't find anything. The home seemed nice and well-kept. The mother seemed pleasant enough and told me that her daughter was out playing at a friend's. It was all so... seemingly normal. I had looked through all of the rooms in the house and was just getting ready to leave. I figured I'd come back later to try and catch the girl at home. The mom was so cooperative that it didn't raise any flags." His voice was filled with self-loathing as he recounted the memory. "I was just getting ready to go, when I heard a whimpering from the closet. I moved to check on it, and the mother flew into this horrible rage. She started screaming and clawing at me, telling me that I had no right to tell her how to raise her children. I knew, right then what I was going to find..."

Kurt and Blaine were so emotionally worn by this point that neither could stop the tears from flowing, knowing, to some extent, what he was about to tell them.

"I held the woman back while she was hitting, biting, clawing... whatever she could do to get me to stop. I opened the closet door and found Brandi. She was only eight. She was beaten to a fucking pulp. There wasn't a spot on her that wasn't covered in cuts and bruises."

Finn's voice had broken by this point and he was fighting to continue speaking.

"I snatched her up in my arms and ran out as fast I could before the mother could do any more damage. I held her in my lap in the front seat while I was driving. I knew it probably wasn't the smartest thing," he gave a humorless laugh, "but I couldn't bear the thought of not keeping her close and protecting her."

He turned then and faced the other men.

"I stayed with her at the hospital, practically night and day until she started to heal. We got a judge who revoked her mother's legal rights... and then I was lucky enough to find her father... I thought."

Finn looked straight into his brother's eyes. Kurt could see the heartbreak there and wanted nothing more than to jump up and pull his brother into his arms. All he could do though was sit and stare. It was like a train wreck was happening right in front of his face and he couldn't look away, no matter how desperately he wanted to.

"I got her settled with her dad, and she seemed to be doing so fine. I went over there at regular intervals. She was healing, she seemed happy," Finn was shaking his head forlornly. "She was transferred over to another case worker after a few months, but the last time I saw her she was doing so well." He stood motionless for a few moments.

Suddenly, he turned quickly to the wall behind him.

"Fuck!" He yelled as he threw a punch at the wall, cracking it and leaving a gaping hole. He turned back slowly, holding a shaking, bleeding fist in front of himself.

"Shit," Blaine muttered under his breath. He dashed over to Kurt's desk, grabbing out some first aid supplies. Finn shrugged him off though when he tried to examine the bleeding hand.

"I thought she was safe! How was I supposed to know? How could I have known?" Finns looked at the other two men desperately, pleadingly. "How could I possibly have known?" He broke then, sinking down to the floor in broken sobs, holding his bleeding hand up to his face. Kurt finally broke from his frozen trance and dove to his knees in front of his brother. He wrapped his arms around the taller man and held him close. Blaine just gaped for a moment, hardly able to withstand the intense pain emanating from his brother-in-law. He slowly sank down and wrapped loose arms around both men, resting his head on top of Kurt's.

"You couldn't have, Finn," Kurt finally said in a low voice. "You couldn't possibly have known. No one would expect you to. You took her from a dangerous situation and did your absolute best to make sure that she was in a safe environment. She was safe the last time you saw her. It's not your fault if another social worker failed at their job. You can't possibly feel responsible for every child."

Finn sniffed and nodded as he pulled back. Kurt sat back on his heels and gently took Finn's hand in his own. Blaine quickly grabbed the first aid supplies and cleaned the wounds in silence while Kurt checked to make sure that nothing was broken. Finn looked across the room in a lost daze.

"What if... what if you guys had a patient, a child, who came to you in desperate need of help? You rescued them, you healed them and then sent them on their way. How would you feel if you found out years later that they got sick again, right after they left your care? You fixed them up, and then the moment they left your sight they were in need of help again, only you weren't there to fix it that time. How would you feel if you finally happened upon them, but they were completely broken again? Only, it's worse this time, because they were expecting you to be there. They were expecting you to be there and heal them like before, only you never came to fix it. You never came for them... How would you feel when they looked in your eyes and asked why? Why you weren't there when they needed you?"

Blaine just looked on in silence, knowing deep down that he'd be in the same dark place as Finn if it were him. He looked down and started bandaging Finn's hand without a word. Kurt swallowed hard, then took both his husband's and his brother's hands in his own, knowing that Blaine needed to hear what he had to say just as much as Finn.

"I would hate the world for it's cruelty. I would be livid toward any other doctors that let the care of my patient slip through their fingers. I would be devastated... but I would also know that I did my best when that patient was in my care, and that's all anyone could expect of me... including myself."

When Finn opened his mouth to argue, Kurt shook his head roughly and kept going.

"No, you need to hear this. We live in a world where terrible things happen, Finn. We have jobs that give us the opportunity to help those in need... but while these jobs can bring satisfaction in knowing that we've made a difference, they can also completely break us when we feel like we've failed someone. We can't let the terrible things that happen in this world break us. If we did that, then we would be denying ourselves the opportunity to keep on helping, to keep on making a difference."

Both Finn and Blaine were looking at the doctor with wide, admiration filled eyes.

"If it were me, I would be thankful for the opportunity to help the child again. I would be grateful for a second chance at making a difference."

Finn nodded roughly, wiping his tears away with his uninjured hand.

"Thanks, Kurt," he said in a quiet voice before standing to his feet and pulling his brother into a tight hug. "I just needed a little perspective I guess." Kurt nodded and hugged him back as tightly as he could.

"Anytime. Just say you'll do the same for me when I need it."

Finn smiled genuinely then, before glancing down to his hand that Blaine had just finished bandaging.

"Thanks, man." He pulled Blaine into a hug then too, which the shorter man returned.

"No problem." Blaine smiled sadly at Finn before turning to his husband and placing a loving kiss on his cheek.

All thee men moped up their drying tears and settled themselves back into their seats with heavy sighs.

"What did she tell you?" Blaine finally asked. Finn shook his head dejectedly.

"Nothing really. After you left she just cried herself out, asking over and over why I didn't come for her. I tried to ask her want happened, but she didn't answer. I don't know if it was because she was so distraught she didn't hear me, or because she just didn't want to answer."

He looked up again, with palpable pain in his eyes.

"I need to know though. You guys checked her over when she first got here, right? You examined her to make sure she was okay?"

Blaine nodded quickly, knowing exactly where Finn was headed.

"There were absolutely no physical signs of sexual abuse, Finn. None at all."

The social worker sagged a little with relief, but all three men were still stoic. Something horrible had still happened, and they had no idea what.

"What's next?" Blaine asked softly.

"What's next is that I'm right by her side when she wakes up again and I don't leave unless someone I trust is with her. Then, I track down her father and find out what the hell happened."

Finn glanced up then, suddenly looking wary.

"There's something else that you guys need to know. Something unexpected, and pretty huge. Something that affects you."

The husbands just glanced at each other and then looked to Finn curiously.

"Brandi's mother, the one I took her away from... is also Liam and Tia's mother. She's their older sister. Well, their half-sister."

Blaine felt Kurt's hand go limp in his own. He turned to see his husband staring with his jaw hanging open, and knew that nothing coherent would be coming out of the doctor's mouth any time soon. He tried desperately to come up with something coherent himself, but his mind was spinning out of control. He said the only thing that he could make sense of.

"Yeah, I'd say that's pretty huge."

* * *

AN- I Hate Mosquitos, Layla and guest - Well, look at that... ;)

KlainerSV- Thanks! And you're welcome :)

Chloe- Congrats! Give 'em kisses for me :)

Beth- Thank you, darling! You give me warm fuzzies :)

Guest- I'm rather excited about that moment too!

I want you all to be my squishy.

PickingViolets


	8. Chapter 8

**Wednesday Evening**

"Duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck..."

"Addy, just pick someone."

"Don't rush me, Elly!"

Kurt and Blaine walked in through the front door feeling exhausted and worn beyond belief, but the moment they heard the laughter and little voices they smiled at each other brightly. They stopped just short of the doorway so they could observe while unseen for a moment.

Elly, Liam, Cara and Paul were all sitting in a circle on the living room floor. Paul was holding Tia in his lap and Addy was standing just outside the circle. She had one hand resting on Cara's head and the other hand on her hip. She was glaring at her brother in exasperation while he gazed back at her with a look that clearly said he was being incredibly patient.

"It's called 'Duck, Duck, Goose' Addy. Not, duck times a million, then goose."

"If people only ever said it twice then you'd always know who was gonna be picked!"

His eyes widened then. "Wow. You're right! I never thought of it like that. Go ahead."

She nodded her head in satisfaction and took a deep breath in order to start again. Paul looked at Addy with a twinkle in his eye while Cara bit her lip lightly to hold back a giggle.

"Let's keep it to somewhere under ten ducks though, princess."

She smiled happily at her grandpa and nodded as she started ducking again. Blaine was leaning up against the doorway, gazing at them contentedly. Kurt stepped in behind him and wrapped his arms around the nurse's waist, pressing their cheeks together while they watched the kids.

"Duck, duck, duck, duck... goose!"

Addy lightly tapped Cara on the head before dashing off around the circle. Cara groaned good-naturedly as she attempted to scramble to her feet. Paul reached out a hand to give her a little leverage but by the time she got to her feet, Addy had already made it all the way around the circle and dashed into Cara's vacated spot. The teen turned around to look down at the little girl who was giggling madly as she peered up with sparkling eyes.

"That's no fair!" Cara shot out with a laugh. "I feel like I should be given a handi-cap!"

"What's that?" Addy asked.

"It means that you should have at least given her the time to get to her feet before running, stinker." Blaine spoke up with a laugh as he broke from Kurt's arms and stepped into the room. "She's carrying a whole extra person around with her."

Six pairs of eyes turned expectantly in their direction as Kurt joined his husband in the room.

"Daddies!" Addy yelped, jumping to her feet and running over to tackle them both with a hug. Elliott ran after her, followed shyly by Liam. Tia promptly crawled out of Paul's arms and scooted her way over toward the commotion.

Cara watched the scene and a sense of peace filled her. Watching the two men hug and kiss each of their kids was yet another affirmation that she had made the right choice.

"Will you play with us?" Elliott asked as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. The doctor was just about to answer when Baine snatched Tia up from the floor and reached out a hand for Liam.

"I'll play, kiddo. Daddy's been working all day. Let's let him relax for a couple minutes. I'll take Cara's spot. Come on. Tia and I will go together."

Addy and Elly hopped after their father excitedly and dove back into their places next to Grandpa Paul. Cara gratefully took a seat on the sofa and Kurt joined her, slipping out of his lab coat. He eyed her hesitantly.

The two of them hadn't had any time alone yet, and he was a little nervous. She and Blaine had obviously hit it off today. It was like they were long lost siblings. Blaine was like that with everyone though. The man could meet someone and become their best friend in less than an hour. Kurt had always had a harder time connecting with people. His tendency to be quiet and reserved sometimes gave people the impression that he was stuck-up, making it difficult to form quick bonds with people. He thought back to the first time he had met Blaine and his awkward attempt to hide his sudden attraction. The doctor remembered sticking his foot in his mouth repeatedly during that late-night meeting in the emergency room.

When he did bond with someone though, it was because the person stuck around long enough to see the real him... and the real him was definitely worth getting to know. He was one of the most loyal and loving friends a person could ask for. Thank God Blaine had been the type of person to stick around. Kurt was certainly thankful for that... every single day.

He swallowed his nerves away. Knowing that the more worked up he got, the more awkward he would come across. He just really wanted Cara to feel completely comfortable with both of them. If he somehow ended up being the reason that Cara changed her mind, he would never have forgiven himself.

"So," he cleared his throat. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she sighed contentedly. "Tired, but I'm tired all the time right now."

"Are you getting enough sleep?" He asked in concern.

"I try. My back keeps hurting though and it's hard to get comfortable."

_Ah, medical stuff. _He thought happily. _Now this is something I know I can't screw up._

"Have you tried one of those body pillows they make for pregnant women? They're designed to wrap around you and support your stomach, legs and back. Obviously I don't know from experience, but I've heard from more than one pregnant patient that they are a dream come true." She looked at him with interest.

"No, I haven't! I'll ask my dad if he'll get me one of those!"

"Oh, we'll get you one," Kurt said quickly. "In fact, please tell us if there is absolutely anything that you need. Maternity clothes, or just anything at all for yourself. Blaine and I are happy to pay for it. It's the least we can do."

When she grew serious and looked down at her lap, he felt panic set in.

"I-I'm not trying to... buy you off or anything weird like that! I promise, I'm just trying to be nice. We want to help take care of you if we can. Not that we think it's our place! We know your father takes great care of you. I just..."

He trailed off and stared at her with wide eyes.

_Oh my god! Why didn't I stick with medical advice! What the hell is wrong with me?!_

Her bottom lip twitched a little and her cheeks grew pink. Suddenly she let out a huge snort and threw her head back in laughter. He covered his face with his hand, pointedly ignoring Blaine's questioning look from across the room.

"Oh, Dr. Hummel. Thanks. I really love a good laugh," she grinned widely. He removed his hand from his face to look at her hopefully.

"I didn't scare you off with my awkwardness?"

"Not in the slightest," she smiled, wiping a mirthful tear from her eye. "I'm going to say the same thing to you, that I said to your husband earlier." Her expression grew serious then and he watched her attentively. "I'm not going to change my mind. You guys are the ones. I know it. I see how amazing you are. Any 'awkwardness' is just you wanting this to work so badly. If anything, I'm the one who wants to impress you. I'm asking you to take in my child and love it like you would your own." Kurt smiled softly then as he turned to gaze at the four children playing on the floor.

"Not one of those kids are 'mine', biologically, but they're all mine." He turned back and looked at Cara earnestly. "This one will be too."

"I know," she nodded, her eyes misting up just a bit. "That's one of the things that stood out to me when I first read about you guys, especially you Dr. Hu... Kurt." She noticed his eyes light up when she changed to calling him by his first name.

_Oh, Blaine was right!_

"When I saw that you adopted your foster son and that you adopted each other's children I got this, kind of thrill of excitement. You're exactly what I was looking for."

He tried to speak, but was a little choked up at her words. They just smiled at each other goofily then for a moment.

"Okay, guys. Bedtime!"

They looked over when the older kids groaned out loud at Blaine's announcement, but got to their feet. Kurt went to stand, but Paul motioned him back.

"This is what I'm here for. You've had a long day. I'll get them all in their pajamas and you two can tuck them in."

"You don't have to do that, dad," Blaine spoke up as Paul swung Tia up into his arms.

"Of course I don't, but I want to. All I did today before coming here was sit on my backside and watch ESPN. Trust me, this is good for me."

Without another word Paul gathered all the little ones and herded them toward their bedrooms. Blaine headed over and placed a kiss on his husband's lips before turning to Cara.

"How was today? Was watching the kids too much?"

"Are you kidding? I had a blast!" She grinned. "Tia's a doll and Liam is such a quiet, little sweetheart. Addy and Elly are so much fun too. I swear I'd think they were fraternal twins or something if I didn't know any better. They are so close. They actually finished each other's sentences at dinner."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other with a grin. This happened frequently with Addy and Elly. They even jokingly called them 'the twins' within their own family.

"Seriously, I've had the best day, guys," Cara said, looking at the earnestly. "I would be thrilled if you let me do this for you as much as I can over the next couple of months."

"I'm glad," Blaine smiled. "We talked about it at the hospital today. We're so excited to have you around. Not just to help with the kids though. We're excited to spend time with you." Kurt nodded enthusiastically and she grinned at the both of them with a blush.

"Look, you guys keep on talking," the nurse said as he stood to his feet. "I'm gonna go make us something to eat, Kurt. What did the kids have for dinner by the way?"

"I made them grilled cheese," Cara called after him as he made his way to the kitchen. "It seemed like a fall sort of meal."

"Ooo, grilled cheese! That sounds really good actually. You game, baby?"

"Sounds wonderful, honey. Thank you!" Kurt called after him. He turned back to Cara then, the both of them feeling considerably more relaxed after conversing with Blaine. He just had that affect on people. Cara grabbed a little throw pillow and propped it behind her back before speaking again.

"Just so you know, I wasn't bothered by you wanting to buy me things. Well, not in the way you thought. I just don't want you to feel obligated. You don't owe me anything in that way. I've heard some crazy stories of girls pumping adoptive parents for all they're worth. That's not me. I wouldn't do that to you guys."

"I know you wouldn't," Kurt gave her an understanding shake of his head. "It's easy to tell that you're not like that. We want to do whatever we can for you though. This is a huge, huge thing you're doing for us, not to mention you're going through something incredibly difficult yourself. Let us do some nice things for you. Not because we're trying to 'buy you off' and not because you're trying to 'pump us for all we're worth'. Simply because we can, and we want to, and you deserve it."

She looked him in the eye before swallowing back some tears.

"Thank you. That means a lot. Just promise you won't go nuts."

"We won't," he held his hands up in the air in surrender. "While we're talking about it though, what are some things that you need?"

When she bit her lip hesitantly he shot her an authoritative look.

"I can see that you're thinking of some things already. Spill."

"Well," she began hesitantly. "I really could use some new maternity clothes. Not much, maybe just a new pair of jeans and a couple hoodies. I can order them online from Old Navy. They've got a really great maternity section now!" She finished with a smile. It faded when she saw his face. He was biting the insides of his cheeks and nodding with a pained expression on his face. She was just about to apologize for being presumptuous when he quickly shook his head.

"Oh, please! For the love of god, let me dress you up in something cuter than an Old Navy hoodie! I swear, you and Blaine really are long-lost siblings. There's an 'a pea in the pod' in town. We can go shopping there!"

She looked at him incredulously.

"I was in there with my dad one time. I picked up a sweater and it was like a hundred dollars. I could buy ten thing from Old Navy for that price. No way! You said you wouldn't go nuts! That, in my opinion, is nuts." He pouted for a second before looking at her hopefully.

"Okay, look at it this way. I'm not doing you a favor. You're doing me a favor." She started to roll her eyes and he hastened to speak before she could say anything. "No, hear me out. I love fashion, Cara. Seriously, love it. Love it as much as you would stereotypically expect from a gay man. If I hadn't become a doctor I swear I would have been a designer. This will be my one and only chance to dabble in the world of maternity clothes. It will be so much fun for me and you'll get an incredible wardrobe out of it. It's a win-win."

He looked at her imploringly for a moment before she gave in and nodded cheerfully.

"Yes! You won't regret it! You're going to be the cutest dressed pregnant girl in all of Ohio!"

"Oh, are we dressing her up?" Blaine asked excitedly from the kitchen, hearing Kurt's exclamation.

"I am, not you." Kurt called with a smile on his face. "You're the one who tried to send Addy to school in pants that were two inches short a month ago, calling them capris. I don't entirely trust your judgment, darling."

A curly head poked out from the doorway with narrowed eyes as he stuck out his tongue. Kurt and Cara both laughed.

"Thank you so much, Kurt. Really," she smiled sincerely. "And thank you for letting me stay here while my dad is traveling. It's nice for so many reasons."

"Of course, honey. We're here for you, for whatever you need. Please know that," he said fervently, his excitement over the clothing set aside. She tried to swallow away the emotion building in her chest, as she looked into his caring eyes. All she could see in this moment was a father's loving eyes, looking at her with concern, and she was overwhelmed. She had expected this kind of thoughtfulness for the baby. She hadn't expected it for her. She threw herself into his arms then. He froze for just a moment before hugging her back, rocking slightly with a small smile on his face.

They both started suddenly, then laughed when they felt a sound kick coming from Cara's stomach. Kurt pulled away and moved back a bit on the couch.

"So you're feeling a lot of movement then?"

"Tons," she sighed. "Another reason that it's hard to sleep at night."

He nodded sympathetically and looked down at his lap. It was so quick that she almost missed it. A quick flash of longing in his eyes. He was much better at holding back his emotions than Blaine. The nurse's eagerness had been almost tangible. She smiled brightly and reached over to take his hand, placing it on her stomach. He looked up excitedly.

"You don't mind?"

"Not in the slightest. For the next two and a half months, my stomach is your stomach. Okay, that was weird, but you know what I mean."

He laughed and leaned in eagerly, gently placing his other hand on her rounded abdomen, waiting to feel a kick.

Blaine entered the room a couple minutes later, carrying two plates and wondering at the sudden quiet. A warmth spread through him at the sight he found. Kurt was leaning down with his cheek on Cara's stomach between his hands, just as Blaine had been this morning. His eyes were closed and a dreamy smile was on his face. Cara looked up at Blaine and grinned happily. The nurse set the plates down and kneeled on the floor next to his husband, leaning his head on Kurt's shoulder. They sat there for the next little bit in silence, feeling their baby move together, both thinking that this was the perfect ending to the day.

* * *

**Wednesday Night**

"Well, everyone is tucked in and asleep... in their own beds for once." Blaine laughed a little as he walked into their bedroom and shut the door. Kurt was sitting up against the headboard with a medical journal in his lap. He pulled off his glasses and smiled tiredly at his husband. "Dad is gone, but he said he'll be back in the morning to take El and Addy to school for us. Cara is settled in the guest room next to Tia. I tried to convince her to take the one at the end of the hall so she wouldn't get woken up in the middle of the night, but she insisted. I think she may have sneaky plans of getting up with her if she wakes in the night. She mentioned that we both look tired, which I told her was just a veiled way of saying we look old." Blaine pulled his shirt over his head and turned to Kurt with a grin. It faded quickly though when he saw his husband looking stoic and tracing invisible patterns on the page of the journal.

"Hey," he asked gently as climbed onto the bed. "What's up? Are you just thinking about Brandi and what we should do?"

"That's part of it," Kurt shrugged. Then he shook his head and tossed the journal aside, sinking down under the covers. He reached up a hand to wipe away a tear in irritation. "It's nothing. I'm fine. It's just been a long day where a lot of monumental things have happened. I'm kind of overwhelmed and exhausted I think." He plopped down on his pillow and pulled the comforter up over his head.

Blaine sighed and went to turn the light off, before setting his own glasses aside and climbing into bed. He slid in next to Kurt, pulling him into his arms so that the doctor's head was resting on his chest. He didn't say anything. He didn't push. He just held his husband close, knowing he would say more if, and when, he was ready.

"I just don't understand," Kurt finally whispered.

"Understand what?"

"The world!" Kurt snapped. Blaine stayed silent, feeling the sting of Kurt's sharp voice, but knowing that the doctor's aggressive tone was not directed at him.

"There are two beautiful children asleep in our house right now, and one at the hospital, who are depending on us because they can't depend on their parents. Their mother beat them and starved them, Brandi's father did god knows what to her, and Tia and Liam's father couldn't even be bothered to leave the state to come and see if his kids are okay! He is letting some social worker that he doesn't even know pick people to take care of his kids."

"Well," Blaine responded hesitantly. "Seeing as Finn's the unkown social worker and we're the people being picked we can just be grateful for his dumb luck. I guess..."

"That doesn't make it okay, Blaine!" Kurt interrupted as he shot up in bed. Blaine sat up slowly, watching Kurt warily.

"What's really bothering you about this, honey? I get that this is terrible. It makes me sick to think about those kids being mistreated. I know you though. There is something deeper eating at you."

Kurt looked pointedly away before drawing his knees up to his chin and wrapping his arms around his legs.

"Three grown people. None of them could be counted on to take care of their own children. There are four kids in this house, five if you count Cara's baby, who aren't really mine, yet I would do anything within my power to take care of them and protect them."

"I know how you feel..."

"No, you don't! Not completely!"

"What are you taking about, Kurt?" Blaine asked with narrowed eyes, starting to feel defensive. He loved those kids just as much, and was hurt that his husband would insinuate otherwise. Kurt looked up then and sighed heavily when he saw the look on Blaine's face.

"I'm not saying that you don't care about them just as much as me. I'm saying that you don't know what it's like to take care of them all, knowing that not a single one of them is really yours."

Blaine was silent then. Now he knew what Kurt was saying. No matter that Elliott had been with Kurt practically since he was a newborn. Biologically, he wasn't Kurt's, just like the rest of the kids.

"God," Kurt sighed, burying his face in his arms. "I feel like I'm betraying Elliott or something by saying this out loud."

All of Blaine's irritation melted away then and he scooted over, pulling Kurt into his lap.

"Kurt, there's nothing wrong with feeling that way. There's nothing wrong with saying it out loud, especially to me. I'm just... I was surprised. You've never once said anything like this to me."

"That's because ninety-nine percent of the time I honestly don't feel this way," Kurt said softly. He was feeling uncharacteristically timid and uncertain. He curled himself into Blaine's arms, nuzzling into his neck. "And tomorrow, I'll go back to my normal self. It's just, tonight... I'm exhausted and sad and overwhelmed. I'm angry at the unfairness of the fact that those people had three beautiful children of their own and they completely abused that privilege. I'll never know what it's like to create life... and I really am okay with that... ninety-nine percent of the time. Tonight's just my one percent of being off."

"Not off," Blaine said softly. "Just real. Always be real with me. You're so amazing Kurt. You're so steady and strong all of the time. Please don't think that I ever expect that of you. You're allowed to break, just like the rest of us."

Kurt nodded against Blaine's chest.

"Well, the real me is gonna be a mess tonight."

"Then be a mess. I'll be here to clean it up... you know, emotionally speaking."

Kurt laughed at that, but all of his emotions were so intense and near the surface that they felt connected and jumbled together. His laughter quickly turned to tears and before he knew it he was sobbing into Blaine's shoulder, clinging to him desperately.

Blaine tightened his grip and held his husband close, determined to let him be real, even if he had to sit there all night. That's what you do for the ones you love.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thursday Morning**

Kurt lifted his head from under the covers in confusion, realizing that he was alone and that Blaine's side of the bed was cold. He couldn't make sense of the situation at first, what with his sleep foggy brain. He always woke up first. That was one of the things he loved about mornings. He would set his alarm for about ten minutes before he actually had to get up so he would have time to snuggle his husband. Blaine was such a warm bundle of cuddles in the morning. They would always start out in each others arms when they went to bed, but would inevitably drift to their own sides in the middle of the night. Kurt would wake up in the mornings feeling cold and separated from Blaine, and would immediately smack the snooze on his alarm before pulling Blaine into his arms. The nurse would always respond enthusiastically, smiling contentedly in his sleep and nuzzling his face down into Kurt's neck. That was how they spent almost every single morning. It was a little jarring to wake up alone.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he peered toward the window. He sucked in a quick breath and panic shot through him when he saw that it was starting to get light out. It was the middle of October in Ohio. It was normally pitch black still when he got up this time of year. He was late for work.

_Shit!_

As he desperately tried to untangle himself from the covers, a piece of yellow paper caught his eye. He slowed down long enough to pluck the piece of legal pad paper from Blaine's pillow, and a smile spread across his face when he read the bubbly script.

_~ Good morning, my love :) First, stop panicking. You're not late for work. I called Dr. Sanders last night after you finally fell asleep and asked him to cover your shifts until Monday. You need the time off. Don't argue with me. I mean it. Stop right now. Stop it, I say ;)_

_I love you so much, Kurt. I know you and I know that you're going to feel self conscious this morning about what happened last night. Please don't. Nothing you do could make me love you any less. Honestly, seeing you so real just makes me love you even more. You are absolutely perfect to me._

_This is gonna sound creepy, but I'll say it anyway because we're married and you're stuck for life :) I watched you sleep for a little while last night when you finally collapsed in my arms. God, Kurt, you are so breathtakingly beautiful. I didn't even want to sleep because it would mean that I would have to stop looking at you. Then I remembered that we have four children who would be getting up in a few hours, so I went to sleep. I didn't let go of you all night though._

_When you get up I was thinking that we could take Cara and the younger kids out to brunch or something fun. Take your time though, baby. You almost never get a chance to sleep in, so enjoy it._

_Love you always,_

_B ~_

Kurt smiled to himself and shook his head. He couldn't help thinking that Blaine never got to sleep in either and that he deserved it just as much. That was typical Blaine though. The first thought in his mind was always about the comfort of others. Kurt made a mental note to let Blaine be the one to sleep in tomorrow. He took the note in both hands and snuggled back under the blankets to re-read it. The smile fell from his face when he thought back to the previous night. He honestly didn't know what had come over him. He so rarely lost his composure and he most certainly wasn't resentful of how they had built their family. He supposed it was just the extreme range of emotions he had been through within just a few days time, piled on top of his anger at the parents of their foster kids. The thought that he and Blaine were being the responsible ones and taking over where these people had failed miserably had pushed him over the edge. Every tiny doubt, fear or frustration had come to the surface in that moment and he had had no choice but to let himself break.

He sighed and closed his eyes, remembering how Blaine had held him close for so long last night. Kissing his face, smoothing back his hair, ignoring the mess that Kurt had left on his shoulder as evidence of his little breakdown. He smiled softly to himself then, knowing how blessed he was to have such a husband.

_Okay. That's enough. You had your moment, and that's okay, but now you have a family depending on you. Get yourself together and go take care of them._

Just as he was summoning the energy the pull himself from bed, he heard a creak as the door to their bedroom slowly opened. He sat up, curious when he didn't see anyone standing there right away. A smile spread across his face when he saw a pair of bright green eyes peeping timidly from the edge of the door.

"Hey, Liam. It's okay, honey. You can come in."

The toddler smiled shyly and pattered across the floor happily, before climbing onto the bed. He had a little trouble climbing up, as he was holding onto something with both hands and refusing to let go, even for a moment. Kurt reached over to help pull the boy up before realizing what he was clutching in his small hands. The doctor gasped sharply, but bit his tongue when Liam offered gooey hands in front of his face.

"I got you a pancake, Daddy."

That's when it hit Kurt. He took in Liam's anxiously excited eyes as he offered up his sticky present. He looked at the trail of syrup on the floor and the brown smudges left at regular intervals across the Egyptian cotton from when Liam had crawled onto the bed.

To Liam, he was daddy.

Those other people may have been a part his creation, but they were far from parents. They were a sperm donor and a carrier. Liam was right there in front of him, offering up a pancake to one of the men who had taken him in. One of the men whom he thought of as daddy. Something they had never once encouraged. Something Liam had come up with completely on his own.

Kurt didn't think twice then about sticky hands on his white shirt. He didn't think about the mess all over their "dry clean only" comforter and expensive sheets. He pulled Liam into his lap and hugged him close, resting his cheek down on top of the blonde hair. An amazing sense of peace swept through him as he placed a kiss on top of the boy's head. He then said something that, up until yesterday, he had been terrified to give in to.

"Thank you, Liam. That was so thoughtful, baby. Daddy loves his pancake."

* * *

"Morning sunshine!" Blaine said cheerily as Kurt padded out into the kitchen a couple minutes later with Liam on his hip. Blaine's smile turned into a look of confusion though when he saw Liam clutching at Kurt's t-shirt with sticky hands. He looked over at the table to see an empty chair where Liam had been sitting and a trail of syrup leading away from the table.

"Geez! I didn't even see him leave. I'm sorry, baby. I meant for you to sleep as long as you wanted."

Kurt shrugged and leaned in for a kiss.

"I was already awake actually, and thank you for letting me sleep in." He gave Blaine a look that said he was thanking him for much more than that. Blaine just smiled and kissed him soundly.

"Liam just... wanted to bring his daddy a pancake." Kurt smiled softly and walked to the sink, setting Liam down on the counter and wiping the sticky face and hands. Blaine looked at his husband in surprise. They had been so carefully avoiding using that word to describe themselves when it came to Tia and Liam. Deep down he knew that the news Finn had brought them yesterday had changed all of that, but he hadn't had a chance to reconcile himself to it yet.

He saw the peace and contentment in Kurt's eyes and felt happiness well up within him. This was exactly what Kurt needed after his emotional night. He stepped up next to the doctor and slipped an arm around his waist, leaning his head on the taller man's shoulder.

"Did you decide to bring daddy a pancake, sweetpea?"

Liam nodded happily and patted Kurt's mouth with his now clean fingers.

"Daddy ate it."

"Daddy choked down one little bite and tossed the rest in the trash can when a certain someone wasn't looking," Kurt murmured out of the corner of his mouth. "God only knows what that thing touched on it's journey."

Blaine snickered with a smile and tapped Liam on the nose. The toddler reached his arms out and Blaine picked him up. The two men wrapped their arms around each other with Liam in the middle, snuggling the child close. Liam practically melted with contentment as he relaxed and let himself be cuddled, wrapping one arm around each of their necks and threading small fingers through their hair. Kurt swallowed hard and pushed the last little bit of fear away.

"Daddies love you, Liam."

Blaine pressed a kiss to Liam's head and then to Kurt's lips.

"So much," he added.

Liam leaned back and looked at them with his always shy smile and pecked each man on the cheek with a little kiss. He wiggled to be put down then and ran as fast as he could, back to the table. Kurt sighed and nuzzled into Blaine, still feeling the after effects of last night, and just wanting to be held. Blaine complied happily, scooting himself up on the counter and then pulling Kurt to him, in-between his legs. Kurt rested his head on the nurse's chest and watched the rest of the family at the table.

Paul had shown up in time to help with breakfast, intent on taking the older two to school, and was quizzing Elliott on some spelling words while the boy finished eating. Addy was feeding Tia tiny bits of pancake from her own plate while Cara put the six-year-old's hair in french braids, something the young girl insisted that her fathers never did quite right. Kurt had always been a little hurt by that. Liam was now in his chair next to Grandpa Paul and the older man cut up another pancake for the child, covering it generously with butter and syrup. Kurt laughed, watching Liam tuck into his meal with gusto.

"Just look at him, Blaine. Less than a week ago that kid was nervous about taking a glass of milk from us and looked like he was afraid we were going to jerk it away. Can you believe the difference?"

Blaine shook his head in wonder.

"It's still a little crazy to me. I fully expected them to push us away when we tried to love them. I mean, all they've known is cruelty and neglect at the hands of their mother. I really thought it would take them longer to adjust to and accept us. Now Tia only has eyes for us when we're in the room and Liam is bringing you pancakes in bed and calling us daddy."

Kurt just smiled.

"They were just waiting to be loved I guess."

"Well, in the words of Elliott, 'This family is really good at loving people'," Blaine smiled.

"That we are," Kurt smiled. He turned in Blaine's arms then, circling his own arms around the nurse's waist. "Especially you. Thanks for loving me, baby. I just... thank you." Kurt's voice was a little choked up by the end and Blaine just pulled him in close once again.

"Oh, honey," he sighed as he ran his hands up and down Kurt's back. "You wouldn't be thanking me if you realized how incredibly easy you are to love."

The doctor laughed a little, but didn't say anything back. He just determined to always be the husband that Blaine deserved, and to love him back just as much.

* * *

"What?" Kurt asked self-consciously when he caught Blaine staring at him yet again. Blaine grinned and averted his gaze as he hiked Liam up on his hip. Kurt had actually left the house in track pants and a simple long sleeved tee today. Granted, they were a designer label, but still something the doctor would normally never wear out in public. His hair was carelessly styled and flopping forward on his forehead a bit, making him look incredibly young. Blaine found it ridiculously adorable and was having a hard time tearing his eyes away.

"Nothing, honey. You just look extra good today is all."

Kurt blushed but smiled. He pulled Tia's little winter hat, complete with monkey ears, closer around her head as he took her from her carseat. He then offered Cara a hand as she climbed down from the high back seat of his SUV. She pulled her winter coat around her as closely as she could, but it wouldn't quite meet in the middle anymore. Kurt eyed her pointedly.

"That goes on the list. You need a coat that will actually keep you warm."

She opened up her mouth to argue but Blaine stepped up to her other side and offered an arm.

"Don't even bother. The more you fight him on it the more he'll buy you."

Kurt just grinned and offered her his arm on the other side. She bit her lip and smiled happily to herself as she took the arms of both men, thinking she had to be one of the luckiest girls in the world.

They walked together as a family through the parking lot and up to the hospital. Cara in the middle, linking arms with the doctor and nurse, Tia in Kurt's free arm and Liam in Blaine's. Once inside, they settled Cara and the kids in the play area located in the pediatric wing before heading to see Brandi.

They had talked it over, and even though they were both taking a few days off, they knew they needed to come in and see the girl. They still hadn't figured out what exactly they were going to do, though both knew deep down that if it worked out for them to bring her home, they would. Especially now that they knew she was related to Tia and Liam. Granted, she didn't even know them. She had been removed from her mother's care years before Liam had even been born. All three children were still related, though, and they felt like keeping them in one family would ultimately be best. Never mind the fact that they both just felt a connection to Brandi and wanted more than anything to take care of her.

It was a nice feeling to walk down the halls of the hospital in their street clothes and not feel the urgency that normally came with their jobs. They held hands as they strolled toward Brandi's room, enjoying the fact that they just got to be together.

Simone was standing outside Brandi's room looking at a chart when they approached. She smiled and looked at them appraisingly.

"Well aren't you just a cutie-patootie today!" She grinned at Kurt. Blaine worked hard at hiding his laughter when Kurt looked at her in disbelief.

"You said I looked fine to come to the hospital like this!" He turned accusingly to Blaine. The nurse pulled him close and laughed.

"You do! You look downright adorable! You're a total cutie-patootie."

Kurt groaned and took the chart from Simone's hand.

"I should have known better than to trust your judgment," he shook his head in annoyance. "I've taken myself down from 'Dr. Hummel' to 'cutie-patootie' in one poorly chosen outfit."

Simone and Blaine just looked at each other with a grin before the two men entered the room.

They found Finn spread out awkwardly between to hospital chairs, one leg propped up over the side rail of a chair and his neck bent in an uncomfortable position as it lolled off to the side in sleep.

Brandi was sitting up in bed, complacently flipping through the channels of the small hospital television. She brightened considerably when the two men walked into the room and sent them a gentle smile. This surprised them. It was such a drastic difference from the previous evening. She had been so incredibly distraught. Even by the time they had left, she had been fairly inconsolable and only willing to talk to Finn.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Kurt asked gently as he sat down on the side of her bed.

"Okay," she answered shyly.

"You look good," Blaine responded with a smile, reaching out a hand to brush a strand of hair from her face, just as he had done the day before. The meaning of the simple gesture was not lost on the young girl and she sighed contentedly before she realized what she was doing. She stiffened quickly, glancing at the nurse anxiously to see how her response had affected him. The last thing she needed was to get too clingy with these guys. She was lucky they were paying her any attention at all. If there was anything she had learned in her young life it was to make herself as small and as unnoticeable as possible.

Unfortunately for Brandi, this didn't come naturally. As a child she had always been spunky, incredibly loving and bursting with energy and opinions. It had literally taken someone beating her into submission for her to become the girl she was today.

There was something about these men though. They each brought out part of her old self. On one hand it felt incredibly nice. On the other it was absolutely terrifying. With the exception of the short time she had spent with Mr. Hudson, she had only ever had negative reinforcement when it came to her natural tendencies.

Mr. Hudson made her feel safe and taken care of. He had proven time and again that he would be there for her when no other adult in her life was. Even after she thought she had been abandoned for the second time, he had shown up and become her knight in shining armor once again, promising to make everything okay.

Dr. Hummel made her feel comfortable in her own skin. She felt as if she could say or do absolutely anything around him and still be accepted, even loved. Whether she was silent or speaking, she got the sense that his opinion of her never changed. He was there. He was steady. He was a father.

Blaine however, or Mr. Hummel, she still wasn't sure how she was supposed to address him... Blaine's affect on her was a little harder to pinpoint. The closest she could come to describing how he made her feel... was that he made her want to try. His mere presence made her want to dig deep within herself and find the Brandi that she used to be as a young child and become that person again. She had no idea if that was possible, but she certainly wanted to give it a go. One sentence had been echoing through her mind from the moment she woke up, probably even before that in her dreams, to be perfectly honest:

_I will always bother. Don't you give up. I won't let you._

The man in question just gave her a little wink and moved to hold her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before turning to his husband.

For a moment the two men talked about the contents of her chart, but it was in such a different way than any of the other hospital staff. They talked about it, but didn't speak in veiled medical terms that she couldn't understand. They also talked directly to her. Asking her specific questions about how she was feeling and what she thought about things. It warmed her greatly to be talked to like her opinion actually mattered.

Their talking had finally woken Finn, and after sleepily stepping into the bathroom to splash some water on his face, he came back and stood at the end of her bed, ready to join in the conversation.

"So, Brandi," Finn started carefully. "There are a few things that we need to discuss. Some pretty important things that will affect what our next move is."

"What do you mean by our next move?" She asked cautiously.

"Well," Finn said, looking her straight in the eye. "From everything they're telling me here, you're getting better every day. You're going to get to go home soon."

Her body tensed immediately and she attempted to pull away the hand that Blaine was holding. He stopped her though, squeezing her hand gently but firmly.

"Hey now," he said in a soothing voice. "Why are you pulling away? Tell us what's wrong. We will do anything within our power to help, but there is only so much we can do if you shut down."

She looked up at him with wide eyes and he cupped her hand between his. Kurt scooted up the bed a little so that Finn had room to sit down. The doctor gave a reassuring nod and squeezed her other hand, while Finn found a seat on the foot of the bed and patted her ankle, showing that he backed Blaine up.

"What are you scared of right now, Brandi?" The social worker asked.

"I don't want to go home," she said meekly. "You said you'd take care of me. You said you wouldn't let anything else bad happen to me."

Finn wanted to kick himself for his misstep.

"Oh honey, when I said home, I didn't mean your old home. I just meant that you would be able to leave the hospital. We are going to find a good home for you to go to, with people who are going to take care of you."

She relaxed visibly and even squeezed both Blaine and Kurt's hands back just a bit.

"Do... do I get any say in where I go?"

"Of course you do," Finn nodded with a smile. "In fact..." He trailed off, sending a discreet and questioning look Kurt and Blaine's way. The husbands glanced at each other and smiled the tiniest bit. They didn't even have to ask Finn what he was wondering or ask what the other wanted to do. They all knew that they were on the same page. Finn nodded, patting Kurt on the shoulder as he spoke.

"This is actually my brother, Brandi," Finn said to the girl. "I don't think I got a chance to tell you that yet."

She looked to them in surprise and they laughed a little.

"Well, step-brothers," Kurt amended. "I know, we don't look anything alike. Thank goodness for me," he gave her a little wink, causing her to smile.

"Thanks for that, Kurt." Finn rolled his eyes, pushing Kurt's shoulder lightly from behind.

"Anyway, before my brother so rudely insulted my ruggedly handsome looks, I was about to tell you something really great about him."

Kurt had the grace to look a little chagrined and turned around to shrug apologetically. Finn shot him a mock glare but smiled again as he turned back to Brandi.

"So, sweetie. There's some pretty big news that we need to share with you. You would have had no way of knowing this, but after you were taken from your mom... a good bit after, she had two more babies. They have a different father from yours, but you have a half-brother and a half-sister."

Brandi's eyes widened. She tightened her grip on Kurt and Blaine's hands, but she didn't open her mouth or say a word. Finn took in her expression and decided to keep on going.

"They were taken from your mother last week, for the same reasons that you were taken away." He finished the sentence quietly, and Kurt could hear the shame and anger still resonating in his voice. He turned around for a moment and squeezed Finn's hand, hating that his brother was blaming himself at all for what happened.

"They are, however, safe and doing very well now," Finn went on with a genuine smile. "Dr. and Mr. Hummel are actually their foster parents, they..."

Brandi sat up straight in her bed then, squeezing the husbands' hands so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

"You have Tia and Liam? They're safe? They're really okay?" She looked at them earnestly, with sudden tears running down her cheeks.

All three men stared back at her in complete shock.

"How do you know about them?" Finn asked in a whisper. "Have you been back to your mom's Brandi?"

She hesitated then, looking like she was afraid of getting into trouble. Kurt shook his head quickly.

"Hey, whatever you tell you us is fine. Nobody is going to be upset with you. We're just trying to piece this all together. We had know idea you were even aware of their existence."

At Finn's earnest nod and Blaine's reassuring smile she timidly opened her mouth to speak, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"It was about... I dunno, eight months ago I think. I was shopping at the store for my dad and I... I heard her voice. I was so terrified. I dropped everything in my hands and hid under a counter in the deli." Finn nodded encouragingly, shooting her a small smile, but Kurt could practically feel the tension radiating from him. "I just closed my eyes at first, hoping I could disappear and that she wouldn't see me, but then I realized that she was yelling at someone. She was yelling at a child the way she used to yell at me. It took me a minute to get up enough courage to peek out, but when I did... that's when I saw them. Tia was still a little baby then. I was so scared, Mr. Hudson," she whispered in a broken voice and Finn caved in a little then, wiping his own tears away, but still nodding for her to continue. "I was s-scared for me, but I was more scared for them. I... I watched her walk out of the store that day, yelling at them and pushing them around. She sh-shoved Liam so hard that he ran into the door on the way out. I couldn't understand why not one single person did anything to stop her."

Kurt was almost trembling with rage by then, thinking about that loving little boy who had just that morning brought him a pancake in bed and called him daddy. That little boy who was just waiting to love and be loved. He could figure out pretty easily the types of things that Tia and Liam had been through, but hearing it actually described was almost more than he could take. He thought to himself that it was probably a good thing this woman was in jail and that he'd never see her again.

"I went home that night and all I could think about was those kids," she shook her head as she looked down into her lap. "A couple days went by and... I just couldn't do it. I couldn't leave them alone to deal with things like I'd had to." Those words were like a knife in the heart to Finn. "So, I started sneaking over there. At first I just hid outside and listened from the windows. I figured out their names and I figured out her schedule so I knew when it would be safe to try and go inside the house. Turns out she did the same things that she did with me," she smiled, but her eyes were cold. "She beat them, half starved them, and then left them alone in the house while she went out and got drunk. Sometimes she'd even bring people back to the house and have... parties." Her cheeks grew bright red then and she refused to meet their eyes. Kurt looked over at Blaine to see that he was almost biting through his lip in an attempt to not say anything. "I started going in every night after she left the house, or when she'd stay home but pass out drunk. Tia was just happy to be held. Mama hardly ever picked her up except to feed her I think. I tried to snuggle her every night. Liam was scared at first though. I told him that I was his sister and that it was okay for me to be there, even though I knew mama would probably kill me if she saw me there."

The thing that really did the men in was her terminology. They all knew that they had used phrases like that when they were teenagers. That their parents were going to "kill them" over something. Brandi meant it literally, and it didn't even register to her that this was abnormal. There was nothing like being smacked across the face with harsh reality to make you realize how much you had to be grateful for.

"It took a couple of weeks, but pretty soon Liam trusted me. I brought them food whenever I could and I would clean up their cuts, as long as it wouldn't look too suspicious to mama. I would try to play with them a little and read them some books, but mama didn't really keep that kind of stuff in the house. I tried to feed them, I really did," she looked at them anxiously. "I brought them my own food from home when I could, but I haven't lived at home for a while now so I didn't have anything to give them." she finished softly. They all worked hard not to tense up and react. This was far and away the most information she had given them concerning herself, and they didn't want to scare her away from telling them anything more. "I-I stole formula lots of times for Tia." She glanced at them warily, waiting to be reprimanded, but all she received were understanding looks from all three. "Mama breast fed her, I think, but I never saw a baby so skinny and I knew she wasn't getting enough to eat. I tried to steal some food for Liam too, whenever I could, but the guy at the store was starting to get suspicious, and I didn't want to get caught."

Suddenly, to all three men, something clicked. They had all been surprised at how easily Tia and Liam had accepted them. The two young children had grown incredibly comfortable with Kurt and Blaine in such a short amount of time. The kids had come from an incredibly abusive home and the fact that they had responded so well to the new and loving environment had seemed nothing short of miraculous. They had decided to just be grateful, instead of trying to decipher the reasons why. They now realized that the reason why was sitting right in front of their faces.

Brandi. All this time, she had been loving them in secret. She had been giving them the hugs and food and care that should have been coming from their parents. A thirteen-year-old, who was abused and neglected herself, had been doing her best to cover the jobs of both a mother and a father... and doing it in hiding because of the consequences should she be caught.

Finn leaned in and looked her in the eye.

"Brandi, you did an incredible job taking care of them. It wasn't even supposed to be your job. You are such an amazing and responsible girl. Those two are lucky they had you." She brightened and her cheeks blushed at the compliment. She gazed at each of them shyly and both the doctor and nurse gave her reassuring smiles and clasped her hands a little more tightly. Neither could find it within themselves to say aloud what they were thinking: that if it was true, and that their mother had indeed left Tia alone so much as a newborn, unfed for hours at a time, that Brandi might very well be the only reason the baby was still alive at all. They both took deep breaths and held in their anger for the mother, knowing that the teen didn't need to see that right now. Blaine reached out to smooth back her hair once more and caressed her cheek lightly. She looked down at her lap, but it was obvious to see that their positive reinforcement was doing her a world of good.

"I went back there, a few nights ago," she spoke up again, "and they were all gone. Mama, the kids... I was so upset! I thought maybe she had picked up and moved with them," she was tearing up again and she moved a trembling hand to wipe at her eyes. "I'm the only thing they had and I was so afraid for them..."

"They are fine, honey," Blaine said, moving to pull her into his arms. Kurt smiled. The doctor had honestly just been waiting for him to break down and hug her. He had been a little surprised at his husband's self control at having held off for so long. "Mr. Hudson took them away from your mom last week and brought them to stay with us. They're happy and healthy. We're taking good care of them." She nodded into his shoulder, clinging to him as she cried her relief. When she finally let go, she wiped her eyes and smiled at them happily.

"You don't know how much that means to me. Really. As long as they're okay then I'm happy."

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other and smiled.

"Actually," Kurt began. "We can do you one better. How would you like to see them?"

She looked up sharply, staring at them to see if they were for real, then looked to Finn. The social worker winked and nodded.

"When?" She managed to croak out in a tight voice.

"They're here now," Kurt answered. "Right here in the hospital." When she looked immediately concerned he realized his mistake and hurried to correct himself. "They're not here as patients, they're just here with us because we came to visit you. Would you like to go see them?"

She nodded shakily, hiccupping back a teary laugh. She moved back the covers from her bed and eagerly swung her legs over the side to stand. It was then that Kurt realized she was now wearing a brand new and fashionable pair of sweats with a t-shirt instead of the hospital gown. As he worked to steady her on her still uncertain legs, her glanced at Finn, nodding toward the outfit. Finn gave a proud little smile and mouthed 'Rachel'. Kurt nodded then, loving his sister-in-law for being thoughtful enough to bring the girl an outfit to wear that wasn't baggy hospital garb.

Blaine hurried to grab a wheelchair from the hall and they settled her into it gently, hanging her IV bag on the side. She was silent and anxiously gripped the sides of the chair as they headed down the hall. Finn was at her back, pushing her along. Kurt and Blaine had linked hands and were walking alongside of her. The husbands looked at each other, hearts beating fast, though they weren't exactly sure why. When they approached the play area, Blaine let go of Kurt's hand and hurried to step forward and open the door.

For the three men, everything seemed to slow in those next moments. Cara was on the floor with Liam, building a tower with blocks. Tia was sitting close by, banging one block on top of another. The baby looked up first, eyes shining when she saw the two men. Her bright green eyes shifted to the girl sitting in the chair though, and she let out an excited little gurgle as she dropped the blocks and started to steadily crawl toward the door. Liam heard his sister's noise of enthusiasm and turned to the door quickly to see what the fuss was about. He had the same look of excitement on his face when he saw his two 'dads', but his happiness faded for a just moment and turned to shock when he saw his older sister. His smile returned then, even brighter than before, and he dove to his feet. Cara looked on in shocked confusion, but was wearing a hesitant smile, able to tell what a happy moment it was even if she didn't know exactly what was happening.

"Bwandi!" Liam shrieked, hurtling himself across the room and into her arms.

Kurt watched on, covering his mouth with a shaking hand as he broke, happy tears streaming down his face. Blaine just looked ecstatic. His eyes were shining with unshed tears, but his bright smile rivaled the sun in that moment. Finn was feeling every emotion he was capable of all at once, but any fears or anxieties were trumped by the look of contentment on the faces of the children. He stepped to the side, pulling Kurt into a tight embrace, needing to express what he was feeling in some way. The doctor grinned and held him back, knowing what a big moment this was for his brother. Seeing any kind of happy closure after all of the heartbreak had to be an incredible affirmation.

Tia had reached the bottom of the chair by then and was clambering to be in Brandi's lap too. Blaine leaned over and scooped her from the floor, setting her in the older girl's lap. Brandi held them both close, shaking a little as she tried to sniff back some happy tears. She kissed them each on the cheek and pulled back to look at them. Three pairs of bright green eyes all met and looked at each other in disbelief.

"I thought I might never see you guys again," Brandi whispered in a broken voice. "Sissy loves you, you know that?"

Liam grinned.

"Wuv you sissy."

He then tapped her excitedly before reaching his hands up to Kurt. The doctor stepped forward hesitantly, not wanting to break up their moment, but the toddler seemed adamant. Liam climbed into his arms with a smile and patted his face gently before looking back down at Brandi.

"Sissy! We got daddies!"

Silence fell across the room. Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, then Kurt looked at Finn, who shrugged, as if to say, 'The ball's in your court, man.' Cara watched on with bated breath. Blaine stepped up next to Brandi and squatted down by her side, placing a hand over hers. Kurt kissed Liam on the cheek and tickled his tummy.

"Yes, Liam. You do have daddies, huh?"

Brandi watched them in awe, still holding a squirming Tia in her lap. She turned carefully to look at Blaine, who was right by her side. Her desperately questioning look was heart-wrenching. He squeezed her hand and smiled with a nod.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, honey, but we would be so honored if you would come and stay with us too."

She couldn't find it within herself to do anything more than nod at first, but inside... inside the happiness and contentment were swirling around like a storm. She nodded more eagerly then, feeling for the first time, in a long time, that things might actually be going her way.


	10. Chapter 10

**Friday Afternoon**

Kurt and Blaine clasped hands tightly over the center console in Blaine's little Prius as they drove out of the hospital parking lot. Kurt glanced into the rear view mirror from his place in the passenger seat and smiled. Brandi was squeezed into the middle of the back seat, with Tia and Liam in car seats on either side of her. The young teen was taking it in turn to pay attention to her brother and sister. She would play peek-a-boo with Tia for a few moments, and then turn to help Liam with the crayons and coloring page that were in his lap.

The doctor inwardly shook his head, thinking that they would have to be careful to not let Brandi take on too much responsibility where the little ones were concerned. Her entire life, for the last eight months, had revolved around taking care of her brother and sister, while no one took care of her. It was understandable that she would naturally cling to them and still feel compelled to care for them. The last thing they wanted was to discourage the connection, and they loved seeing the closeness of the siblings. They also wanted her to know what it was like to just be a teen though. It was obvious that this girl had never had the experience of just being a kid and of being taken care of by her parents. The couple wasn't sure how permanent their situation would be, but for as long as they had her, they were going to be the best caregivers they possibly could.

Kurt sighed outwardly then and rubbed a hand over his eyes, pushing his glasses up onto his forehead. As excited as he was to bring Brandi home, especially now that they knew she was related to Tia and Liam, it felt as if they were being tossed right back at the starting line in this whole process. Yet another child who could be jerked away from them the moment they fell in love with her. There was still so much they didn't know about the time Brandi spent in her father's care, and until Finn was able to get some more concrete information, everything was in limbo where the girl was concerned.

Blaine glanced over at Kurt and watched as his husband rubbed a hand over his eyes and under his glasses. He knew that move well. It was Kurt's signature "I'm tired and stressed" move. He squeezed the doctor's hand, stroking his thumb, and Kurt turned to look at him with a soft smile, squeezing back.

They were both feeling contemplative though as they considered everything they had discussed with Finn the previous morning.

* * *

_Finn and Kurt sat down on a bench in the children's ward and watched the siblings talk and play. Brandi made a big deal out of the little one's new outfits, and they watched as she attempted to look them over discreetly, checking their healing cuts and bruises. She seemed satisfied and continued to talk to and play with them as best she could from her chair. Blaine helped to settle her and introduced Cara before joining his husband and brother-in-law._

_"So, tell us exactly what you know about the situation with her dad," Blaine said to Finn point-blankly. "As happy as I am to take her in for right now, I know very well that you don't have the right to just take her from her dad without just cause. At this point, we have no other word than hers that something bad happened, and she won't even tell us details. Please tell me that someone from your office found out something, because I can't stand the thought of taking her home, only to have to send her back to a bad situation."_

_Finn looked at him both appraisingly and with sympathy. Kurt reached over and slipped an arm around his husband's waist, grateful that he and Blaine were on the same page._

_"You ever thought of being a social worker, man?" Finn asked with a smile._

_"Yes, actually," Blaine responded, causing Kurt to look at him in surprise. "I used to think about it a little, but I know that I couldn't handle the constant emotional strain that comes with a job like yours. I don't know how you do it, Finn. I think I would break."_

_"Funny thing is," Finn smiled, "I feel the same way about your guys' jobs. I guess we just all have our own set of gifts, huh?"_

_"You are very gifted at what you do, Finn." Kurt spoke up seriously. "It is so amazing to me, watching you with those kids. They love and trust you, and it's not easy to earn the trust of a child who has been abused. It's a testament of how good you are at your job, and I'm proud of you."_

_Finn blushed brightly and looked down, before reaching out and roughly patting his brother on the shoulder. Blaine smiled at their interactions. He had always loved the way Kurt and Finn related to each other. They were so different, yet were incredibly close, despite those differences._

_"Thanks, man." Finn looked Kurt in the eye then. "Your approval means more to me than most people's. I appreciate it."_

_Kurt patted him on the knee and sat back, looping his arm around Blaine's waist again._

_"Right," Finn sighed. "Back on track. Well, here's what I know. After everything came to light yesterday," he glanced down at his bandaged hand, flexing it tentatively, "after I got her calmed down and she fell asleep, I called the office and had one of my co-workers check into things for me. I knew I couldn't leave her side right then, but we also had to find her dad. Like you said Blaine, I couldn't just give her to you guys, or anyone else for that matter, without figuring out exactly what had happened."_

_He fell silent for a moment and sighed as he watched Brandi laugh softly over something Liam said._

_"Chera, one of the girls I work with regularly, called the last known number, but it had been disconnected. She found the address and went over..." Finn looked back at the two men with sad and serious eyes, "and another family was living there. Chera asked around to some of the neighbors and apparently her father and his new wife moved about three months ago."_

_Kurt and Blaine just stared at him for a moment, not even sure what to think._

_"What... how..." Blaine started, "if they moved, why is Brandi still here? No matter what happened, how in the world could a parent just move and leave their child behind?"_

_"That is the question of the hour," Finn said. The anger in his voice was almost tangible and it was obvious that he was barely able to keep it contained. This girl had been under his care, on and off, for a while now. To see her continually misused, in any way, was absolutely killing him._

_"Chera tracked them down just this morning. I guess they live in Cincinnati now. She called and got a woman on the line, I'm assuming it was the new wife. Chera told her that we have Brandi, but before she could get another word in the woman snapped that they didn't want her and to leave them alone, then hung up. Chera tried to call back, multiple times, but no one would answer."_

_Kurt stood abruptly and paced back and forth for a moment, running a hand through his hair in irritation before turning to the door and walking out. Finn and Blaine glanced at each other apprehensively before getting up to follow him out._

_Blaine glanced over to Cara, who was watching them curiously. The teenager nodded quickly that she would keep an eye on the other kids._

_They exited the door to see Kurt leaning up against the wall with his eyes closed, looking almost pained._

_Blaine walked up to his husband and put a hand on his waist._

_"You okay, babe?"_

_"No," Kurt said, shaking his head. "I'm definitely not okay. This is fucking insane!"_

_Finn opened his mouth hesitantly to respond, but Kurt rushed on._

_"What the hell is wrong with this world?! What the hell is wrong with these people?! They beat their kids, they give them up without question, they abandon them... they just leave, not caring what happens to them! I keep feeling like I've come to grips with this whole situation and then something new and horrible comes to light." He looked Blaine and Finn straight on, his voice cracking slightly as he continued. "Why do we have to fight to be given the right to take care of these kids, when these people get to procreate all they want and then completely shit all over that privilege?"_

_Blaine pulled his husband into his arms, holding him close. Finn heard him whisper, "I don't know, babe. I wish I knew."_

_Finn just watched his brother and brother-in-law, aching inside that he didn't have any answers. He knew deep down that Kurt didn't expect one, but it still killed him. Kurt sighed heavily, squeezing Blaine to him before pressing a kiss to his husband's cheek and pulling away._

_"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to explode like that. This whole thing has just been so surreal to me, and it really shouldn't be. I'm a doctor. I see neglect and abuse all the time. It's not like I don't know it exists. It's just... hard to deal with it on such a personal level. When I took in Elliott, it was such a different experience. It was devastating, what happened to his parents... but it was a clean cut. He didn't have anyone. I took him. We were a family. That was it. This is just... it's just such a fucking mess."_

_"Should I say something stupid and cliché like, 'nothing worth having comes easy'?" Finn asked with a sardonic smile._

_Kurt looked at him for a moment before breaking into a smile and linking hands with Blaine._

_"Why not. There aren't any real answers. I don't expect you to give me any." The doctor sighed heavily and looked to his husband. "I'm sorry you have to keep dealing with my little break downs, honey. I don't know what's wrong with me. How are you so steady right now? I feel like it's your turn to completely freak out. I feel like we're imbalanced and that I'm the crazy unstable spouse right now."_

_"Are you forgetting the first few months we were together?" Blaine laughed. "I had more than my fair share of breakdowns during that little period that you had to deal with. We all have our moments, baby. We're there for each other when we need it, that's what matters. When I need to freak out, I will, and you'll be there for me. That's the beauty of us."_

_Kurt sighed and pulled Blaine in for another hug before turning back to Finn and looking at him apologetically._

_"Sorry, thanks for listening to my rant."_

_"Don't be sorry, dude," Finn shook his head adamantly. "You're allowed. You guys are doing something amazing and huge by taking these kids in. Rant to me all you want. I'm there for you, both as your brother and as your social worker."_

_"I know," Kurt said in a soft voice. "Thank you."_

_Finn smiled and nodded before leaning up against the opposite wall, folding his arms in front of him._

_"Okay, guys. Back to where we stand. For the moment, she is in the care CPS and I am handing her over to you as temporary foster parents. If these facts line up, and they really did just move without leaving her in anyone's care, then it is an abandonment issue... and that is at the very least. There is so much we don't know, and I need to figure it out before we can take any more steps. I've contacted an agency in Cincinnati and they are putting someone on the case there to connect with her father and try to figure out what the hell is going on. I'm driving out there though. If not today, then tomorrow. This is too personal for me to just hand over to a case worker who I don't even know. Brandi seems so much better now than she did yesterday, so I feel okay about leaving her in the care of the staff here, and you guys can take her home as soon as she's released."_

_The husbands nodded soberly, knowing deep down that they were already hoping they'd get to keep her too, and that they'd be absolutely heartbroken should she be taken away from them. It was a risk they were willing to take though._

* * *

Both husbands broke out of their reverie when they neared their home. Kurt glanced back into the rear view mirror once and smiled at Brandi when he caught her eye. She smiled back and took what looked like a nervous breath as Blaine took a turn from the main road.

* * *

Finn took a steadying breath as he strode up the front walk to the little house. He was doing his best to not go into the situation angry, but the actions of this couple thus far were doing nothing to help their cause.

He had placed phone call after phone call in to these people, only to be hung up on or avoided completely. A social worker from an agency there in Cincinnati had done the same, along with stopping by the house and even trying to visit the father at work. She had experienced the same avoidance and was just getting ready to involve the police. Finn was driving in to the city by then though, and asked her to wait until he tried to connect with them in person before they took the next step.

He rang the doorbell and tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for a response. A slight movement at the window next to the door caught his eye, and he glanced over to see the curtain swaying just a bit, as if someone had pulled it back to peek out, then moved away quickly. He waited for an answer to the door... but nothing happened.

He knocked this time, a little forcefully.

Still nothing.

He swallowed back his irritation and spoke loudly, but in a calm voice.

"I know you're there. I know you're avoiding us. This is serious, and I'm about to call the police if you don't open this door and talk to me."

Nothing.

He sighed and was just pulling his phone out of his pocket when the door cracked open.

"What do you want?"

He snapped his head up in surprise. This voice wasn't what he had expected. He had anticipated anger and defensiveness. What he heard uncertainty with a dose of fear.

"For now, I just need to talk to you," he answered gently.

The door wavered a bit as the hand on the door gripped it tightly. Slowly, it was pulled open all the way. A woman stood there, eyes downcast, looking like she wanted to shrink into herself and disappear.

"Can I come in?" Finn asked softly. His anger was quickly dissipating and he was instead filled with concern. She looked up then and quickly shook her head no. He took a deep breath and surveyed her carefully. She was well-groomed, fashionably dressed, and quite pretty. There were no visible signs of abuse, but her every action gave off the impression that she was scared to speak or act at all, for fear of repercussion.

"Okay, well, I'm Finn Hudson. I'm here to talk to you about Brandi Meyers."

She just stared back without reacting.

"Am I correct in assuming that you are her step-mom? Is your husband James Meyers, Brandi's father?"

Still no response. Finn sighed heavily.

"Look, your silence tells me that I'm right. You need to known how serious this is. Brandi was found on the streets back in Lima. If she hadn't been found when she was, she could have died from hypothermia, not to mention she looked as if she had barely eaten in a month. Your house had been vacated and your thirteen-year-old step daughter left on the streets to fend for herself. I realize that we don't know the whole situation yet, but when we tried to contact you, you avoided us completely. That doesn't do a whole lot to instill confidence in you as responsible parents. We are looking at abandonment charges and even abuse. I need to know the whole story here."

The woman's eyes grew large with fear as he spoke and she brought a hand up to her mouth. She glanced over her shoulder then outside, peering at the neighboring houses before speaking.

"Is she alright now?" Her voice was barely audible.

Finn nodded slowly.

"She is with an incredible foster family, who is taking very good care of her."

"Can't she just stay with them, then? Can't we just forget about this whole thing since she's okay?" Her voice was desperate and her eyes pleaded with him to just say yes.

Finn responded carefully, trying to assess exactly what was motivating this question.

"If she is better off with the foster family than here with her father, I am happy to try and work that out, but no. I can't just forget about this. She could have died. A thirteen-year-old girl could have died. Another couple had to step up to the plate and do the job that wasn't being done by her parents. It wasn't their responsibility. It was yours. If you and your husband deliberately abandoned that girl then I have every right and reason to press charges."

He spoke questioningly, rather than with animosity, gently pushing for more information. It was clear that this woman was fearful and submissive to a fault. I was also clear that she genuinely cared about Brandi's well-being when she spoke.

She swallowed hard.

"He never hit her or anything, if that's what your wondering. He wouldn't do that."

Finn froze. It took every ounce of self-discipline to not react to this.

"I actually never accused him of that. The mere fact that you mention it though has me concerned."

She took in a sharp breath and looked around wildly, as if looking for an escape.

"Look," Finn said carefully, leaning over just a bit so that he could look her square in the face. "I need to ask this. Are you in any danger here?"

She shook her head quickly, the most animated response he had gotten out of her yet.

"No. Not at all. He'd never hit me. I already said that."

He watched her carefully for a moment before responding.

"You are aware that hitting someone isn't the only way of abusing them, right?"

She stared back, and he watched as her chin quivered.

"It is my job to take care of people," Finn said softly. "If there is anything you need to tell me, you can do so freely. I will make sure you are taken care of. I can help if you'll let me."

She looked to the side, wavering.

"It was my idea," she finally whispered.

"What was your idea?"

"To leave her."

He did a double take. _Wow. Was not expecting that._

"I thought that she'd be better off." Her voice grew louder and more panicked as she spoke, and she gasped for breath as she charged ahead. "I was starting to get afraid of what would happen to her if she stayed with us. I swear I didn't mean any harm to her though! I wanted her to be okay! I thought she'd go to a shelter or something! I thought... Oh god! I don't know what I was thinking! I just, I didn't know what else to do!"

She lowered her face into her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Finn just stared at her, reeling from this new piece of information. He stepped forward quickly when her knees started to buckle, and caught her before she hit the ground.

"It's gonna be okay," he soothed. "I'm here to figure this out. Tell me everything, from the start."

* * *

_Wow._

That was pretty much the only word Brandi's mind could come up with as they pulled down the driveway. She glanced over at Liam who looked back at her with bright eyes.

"Home!" Liam yelped excitedly as he grabbed Brandi's hand and pointed out the window.

Blaine and Kurt gave each other sideways glances and smiled happily. Liam had been doing incredibly well with them, but once around his older sister, he almost seemed like an entirely different kid. Relaxed, very happy and even fairly talkative. It was incredible to see.

As soon as Blaine parked, they quickly got out and pulled the younger two from their carseats. Kurt set Liam to his feet and reached a hand in to help Brandi climb out. Her hand was clammy in his as she grasped his fingers tightly, and he felt a pang, realizing how nervous she was. He squeezed her fingers gently and smiled as she stepped out next to him. He kept ahold of her hand as they walked up to the house, and kept a slow pace. She was still fairly weak from her ordeal, and it was obvious that just the trip home from the hospital had worn her out.

They made their way up the steps carefully and Blaine had the door ready and open for them. They walked through the front door to see Cara, Paul and Burt standing there, smiling widely. Paul and Burt were each holding a small bouquet of daisies and Cara was holding a plate of cookies. There was a homemade sign hung on the wall, stating:

_~Welcome Brandi!~_

"What's all this?" Blaine asked in a happily surprised voice.

"Well," Paul responded, "Cara made the cookies and the banner, and Burt and I decided we couldn't be outdone, so we got the lovely young lady some welcome flowers."

The young teen's eyes widened as she took in the sight. The fact that she was being taken in at all had been overwhelming to her. The fact that she was being happily welcomed... well, she felt like she was living someone else's life. She had no idea what to make of it. She stared wordlessly as her eyes watered up.

Kurt let go of her hand and put his arm around her, pulling her to his side. Burt looked at his son guiltily and mouthed, 'Too much?' Kurt smiled gently and shrugged. He looked down at Brandi and rubbed her arm gently.

"You okay? I know this is a lot."

She sniffed gently and nodded, before glancing over to Paul, Burt and Cara.

"Thank you," she whispered softly. They all smiled back, grateful that she was speaking and that they hadn't accidentally freaked her out.

"Brandi, you already know Cara, and these are mine and Blaine's dads, Burt and Paul," Kurt spoke quietly, still holding her close. She seemed to grow heavier in his arm, even as small as she was, and he quickly realized that it was because she was starting to sag a little. She nodded at the others with another little smile, but stayed silent. Kurt leaned down to look her in the eye.

"Are you tired? Do you need to go and rest now?"

She nodded gratefully and sagged even further against him. Without another word he scooped her up in his arms and she practically collapsed against his chest.

"Sissy?"

Kurt looked down to see Liam at his feet, grasping his pant leg and looking up in concern. Burt quickly stepped over and pulled the little boy up into his arms.

"Sissy is just gonna have a nap right now. Come on and play with Grandpa Burt and you can see her in a little bit, okay?"

Liam glanced at his sister again warily, but nodded his consent as Burt carried him off in the direction of the miniature train table.

Blaine handed Tia off to Paul and made to hurry after Kurt as the doctor headed down the hall, but he caught Cara's eye first. She was still standing there, watching the scene unfold anxiously. Blaine could tell what she was thinking without even asking. He knew because this girl was so much like him, they could have been related. She was wondering if her exuberance had been to much, if she was the reason the other teen had to be carted off to lie down. The nurse stepped over and patted her cheek with a grin and a wink.

"You did good, squishy."

She smiled back and sighed in relief as he patted her cheek one more time before hurrying after Kurt.

She glanced down at the plate of cookies, then shrugged, thinking that they shouldn't go to waste. She balanced the plate on top of her rounded abdomen and helped herself to a treat.

* * *

Kurt was just coming up to the room they had readied for Brandi, when he realized that the door was shut. He was just trying to figure out how he could go about opening the door without losing his grip on Brandi, when Blaine slid in beside him and turned the nob. Kurt smiled gratefully and stepped inside.

He kept the light off, seeing that she was already starting to drift off, and headed straight to the double bed in the corner of the room. Blaine hurried ahead of him again, pulling the down the covers and fluffing up the pillows. Kurt settled her into place, and she immediately curled up onto the pillow and burrowed under the covers. The doctor leaned over to tuck the blankets in around her and then stepped back for a moment next to Blaine. They were relieved at how comfortable she already seemed with them, and over the fact that she was able to curl up and go to sleep so easily.

Her hair had spilled forward on her face when she had turned on her side, and Blaine reached a hand down to sweep the strands out of her eyes. The moment his fingers touched her cheek though, she started and opened her eyes just a bit. He smiled at her and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"It's okay. This is your room. You go ahead and sleep for as long as you want. When you feel rested we'll get you fed. Alright?"

She blinked owlishly and nodded once. Kurt squeezed in next to Blaine and reached out to squeeze her hand that was resting on top of the covers.

"When you get up, you just take your time and enjoy your new space. You have your own bathroom, off to the right there. You can take a shower or a bath if you like. I also picked you up a few outfits that we can make due with for now. They're in that dresser over there." He nodded toward a tall oak dresser that was up against the wall next to the bathroom door and then looked back at her with a gentle smile.

She just looked at the two men, hardly able to believe that they were saying these things to her, that she wasn't dreaming.

"Go to sleep, honey," Blaine said as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "We can talk more when you wake up."

She closed her eyes without responding and her breathing slowed and evened out in seconds. The husbands stood to leave, but were stopped at a small whisper.

"Did you really say it?"

Blaine looked at Kurt in confusion, but the doctor shook his head, showing that he didn't know what she was talking about either. The nurse crouched down by her side.

"Did I say what, sweetie?"

She cracked open one eye to peek at him, and it was obvious that it was taking every bit of her energy just to do so.

"In the hospital. Did you really say that I couldn't give up? That you wouldn't let me... or did I just dream it?"

Blaine swallowed hard as he felt Kurt squeeze his shoulder.

"You didn't dream it, Brandi. I said that to you. I said it... and I meant it."

She let her eyelid fall once more and then sighed contentedly as she nuzzled her face down into the pillow.

"Okay then."

* * *

**Friday Evening**

"Did you get plain pepperoni, daddy?"

Blaine was sorting out the pizza boxes in the kitchen, and looked down to see Addy at his side, bouncing excitedly as she held an empty plate in her hand.

"Yes, princess," he smiled. "Down at the end of the counter there."

She hopped off to grab a slice before joining the rest of the family at the dinner table.

Paul was cutting up a slice of pizza for Liam, and Burt was holding Tia on his lap. Both grandpas were talking animatedly about the next day's football game. Elliott was seated in front of Cara, excitedly trying to feel the baby move, and Addy was chatting happily with Carole and Kurt about her day at school. Carole had joined them for dinner after the daycare closed for the day.

Brandi was still sleeping, for which they were thankful. She had a lot of strength to regain, and the rest was good for her. Besides, Kurt and Blaine were a little worried that she might be overwhelmed by the family dinner, and were just as glad to have her miss the craziness.

Blaine grabbed his own slices of pizza and went over to join everyone else. All eight chairs were already full, so he walked up to Kurt and patted his leg, urging him to scoot over so they could share a chair. The doctor scooted over with a smile and they took the opportunity to play a little footsie under the table while eating.

Soon the kids finished eating, and Elly and Addy took Liam over to the living room floor to color and look at some books before bed.

"So," Carole spoke up, glancing over at the kids to make sure they weren't listening, "can you tell us any more about what's happening? I think I know the basics, but everything has happened so fast."

"You're telling me," Kurt sighed, but smiled as he snuggled into Blaine's side. Blaine put an arm around his waist and leaned his head down on the doctor's shoulder with a little sigh of his own.

"Well, the skinny is this," Blaine started to speak somewhat hesitantly. He knew he could be candid in front of their parents, but Cara was still at the table and he didn't want to talk about Brandi's private business in front of her. The teen seemed to sense his reticence though, and excused herself to her room. She stated that if she didn't get caught up on her geography homework her tutor would be ready to throttle her, but that she would be back out before going to sleep so they could say goodnight to the baby. It was a routine that had quickly formed in the last couple of nights, and both Kurt and Blaine knew that they would miss it terribly when Cara's father came home the next day.

They all smiled at her as she left the room, then Blaine turned back to their parents to continue.

"You all know that Brandi is Tia and Liam's older sister, but I think that's pretty much all you know, right?"

At three nods he went on to tell them everything, from how he had found her, to the fact that she reached out so candidly to both he and Kurt, and then on to bringing Finn to her and discovering the final connection.

"You don't know anything at all about what happened to that poor girl?" Carole asked sadly.

"Not yet," Kurt shook his head. "Finn's in Cincinnati right now though, trying to track down the father."

"So, that's what he's doing," Carole nodded in understanding. "Rachel called, asking if I'd be able to help her out by taking the twins for a bit tomorrow while Hailey has dance rehearsal. She said that Finn was traveling for work. I wondered, because he doesn't normally do that."

"Technically, it's beyond his jurisdiction," Kurt shrugged, "but this was way too personal to him to just hand over to another case worker."

"What about Tia and Liam?" Paul questioned. "You probably don't know anything yet about how long you'll get to keep them, do you?"

Kurt and Blaine both smiled brightly then. Things had been so crazy in the last couple of days that they hadn't even had the chance to tell their family and friends the good news.

"Actually," Blaine said, barely containing his excitement. "We got news that they were permanently removed from their mother's care on Wednesday. Finn found their dad too. He's never even known them really and is living in Nevada. He agreed to sign over his parental rights."

He glanced at Kurt, who leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and then turned back to the others, his joy visible in his face.

"We are free to look into adoption, if we're interested... and we're definitely interested."

Carole started to let out an ecstatic squeal and Paul was just about to leave his seat to congratulate them, when Burt put a hand up in the air to silence them all. He held Tia on his lap and looked at Kurt steadily. The doctor looked back at his father just as evenly, but couldn't help feeling a stomach-turning apprehensiveness at the serious look on his father's face. Burt's approval meant the world to him. While he felt confident that he and Blaine were making the right decision, much of the joy would be sapped from this experience if he didn't have his father's blessing.

"Let me get this straight," Burt said slowly, with an unreadable expression on his face. "First, you are adopting a baby that will be born in a couple months, and in the meantime the mother is staying here on occasion, so you're taking on some responsibility for her as well."

Kurt wanted to say that Cara was helping them out just as much by watching the kids on occasion, but he knew that Burt was essentially right. He just looked his father straight in the eye and gave a small nod. He could feel Blaine tensing beside him, ready to spring to their defense if need be.

"Secondly, you've taken in these two little children who have been through hell and back," he paused for a moment to smile at Tia who gurgled happily and chattered some nonsense as she pulled on his ear, "and will need a lot of special care and attention... and you're going to adopt them too."

Carole eyed her husband carefully, starting to feel anxious about where he was headed with this. Paul just looked on, while Kurt and Blaine gripped hands tightly under the table.

"Now, you've taken in their older sister. You don't know hardly anything about her, or what she's been through, just that she had nowhere else to go."

Kurt nodded slowly once more, feeling an incredible amount of trepidation by this point. He'd always been so supported by his father. The thought of Burt disapproving made him feel a little sick.

Burt just stared at his son, before handing Tia over to Carole and standing. He motioned for Kurt to stand and meet him at the edge of the table. Kurt walked up to his dad, suddenly feeling like a teenager again.

Burt shook his head in disbelief before yanking his son into his arms and squeezing him tight.

"Kurt, I am so goddamn proud of you," he said in a choked voice. Kurt melted into his father's arms and hugged him back with a huge sigh of relief. "So many days of your life stand out to me. When you graduated from med school, when you took in Elliott, when you married one of the most amazing men I've ever met..." he trailed off a moment and Blaine blinked back some tears, hearing his father-in-law speak that way about him.

"Now though, son," Burt pulled back and gripped his son tightly by the shoulders. Kurt gazed back at his father as his tears spilled over. "You are proving yourself to be loving and generous beyond belief. I can hardly comprehend that I was the one who raised you, but I am so damn proud to say that you belong with me, kiddo."

Paul and Carole broke in wide grins as Burt gave Kurt one final squeeze. He then stepped over to pull Blaine into a hug, telling him that he was just as proud of him. He gave his son-in-law another pat before pulling away as he cleared his throat roughly. He went to snag Tia back from Carole's arms, but she pulled him down for a loving kiss and gave him a look that said SHE was the one who was proud.

"Really boys," Paul spoke up then. "I feel the same. You're doing something wonderful here. It's a lot to take on, and a big responsibility, but we've all got your back. Anything you need, we're here to help."

Burt and Carole nodded their agreement as they snuggled Tia in between them.

Kurt and Blaine looked back at their parents with light hearts as they stepped together, wrapping their arms around each other.

The last few days had been exhausting and overwhelming. They had both had more than one moment of doubt, where they wondered if they were taking on too much. If they could actually handle this. If this would end up being a bad thing for their little family.

Now, they felt the most extreme sense of peace. Having the support of their parents, along with the knowledge that they had made them proud, was the affirmation they needed.

They could do this, because they wouldn't be doing it alone.

* * *

AN- First of all... fifty reviews since the last chapter?! Gee whiz, you guys are swell :) I was seriously beating my head up against a wall with this chapter for some reason, but all of the amazing support kept me writing! Keep it coming, loves :)

In other news, I figured out tumblr finally! I'm feeling rather proud of myself :) Feel free to find me there for submissions and requests. It's actually a little easier to do that kind of stuff there, rather than here, I'm finding. I'm Picking-Violets.

**KlainerSV, Becca, Beth, Dkf, LP**- Thank you so much! You guys always give me the most wonderful support and I appreciate it!

**Clemence**- Every day? I'll need to write more often ;) Thank you so much!

**Chloe**- Thank you sweetie! And true, you have been with me from the beginning, and I absolutely love you for it :) Your requests are being taken into serious consideration! Praying you get more sleep soon!

**Liam**- First of all, I feel like naming a character after you must have been a sixth sense on my part, and I totally accept! :)

Love you all,

PickingViolets


	11. Chapter 11

AN- I feel that a warning like this is beyond ridiculous, but as a couple of people have made it abundantly clear how they feel, I am going to post this.

There is bottom!Blaine in this chapter people. If you don't like that, then stop reading.

For you lovelies that believe a warning like this is as unnecessary as I do... I just love you to pieces :)

* * *

**Friday Evening**

"Diane, it's six o'clock and I don't smell dinner cooking. You know very well that I expect dinner to be on the table when I..."

Finn watched with narrowed eyes as a tall, broad-shouldered man made his way into the dining room. The other man mirrored his suspicious look and eyed his wife distastefully. She was sitting in a chair in the corner, trembling as she bit at her nails. Her eyes were puffy and she looked uncharacteristically disheveled.

"Hello, Mr. Meyers." Finn was barely able to keep the disgust from his voice.

"Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my home?" The other man asked in a scathing voice, somehow managing to look down on Finn, though he was probably an inch or two shorter.

"I guess it's been a while." Finn said calmly. "I would have thought you'd remember me. My name is Finn Hudson. I'm a social worker back in Lima. Your daughter Brandi was under my care when she was younger... and she is again now."

James looked him over, realization dawning in his eyes, then snorted a little laugh.

"If she's under your care, then what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be there, doing your job, instead of interrupting our home during the dinner hour?"

Finn stared back at Brandi's father, hardly able to believe that this man was for real.

"I am doing my job," Finn responded through gritted teeth, "by coming here to figure out what the hell happened between you. YOUR daughter, YOUR child, was found on the streets! She could have died of hypothermia. She was skin and bones. Her clothing was falling apart." He stepped forward then, his rage practically seeping from him as he took a ragged breath.

"Are you completely forgetting what happened five years ago? I brought that little girl, YOUR DAUGHTER, to your home! She had almost been beaten to death by your ex-wife! She hadn't eaten in a week! I brought that eight-year-old little girl to you, to her father, so that she could be taken care of by somebody who loved her!"

Finn was advancing again, hardly even aware that he was doing so. James attempted to not shrink away, but didn't succeed.

"The last time I saw the two of you, things were going great," Finn's voice almost broke then. "What happened?"

James looked back at him steadily before glancing at his wife.

"She grew up. That's what happened," he spoke in a flat voice. "She became a teenager and decided that she didn't like the way I ran my house, so she ran away."

"Why didn't you report that she was missing to the police?" Finn asked in a voice that said he clearly wasn't buying it. "Seems to me if my child ran away I'd, you know, try to find them instead of skipping town."

The other man's eyes narrowed.

"It was a private family issue. There was no need to involve the police. She was being a typical and angry teenage girl and ran away. I knew she'd return home when she was done being stubborn. There was no reason for you to get involved."

"There was EVERY reason for me to get involved!" Finn shouted. He stared at this man in utter disbelief. He knew very well that he was lying. Not only because Brandi's step-mom had already told him what happened, but because it was obvious from his tone that he was making it up as he went along.

Finn glanced at the woman cowering in the corner. He couldn't betray her by saying that she had told him the truth. After confessing what had really happened, that they had knowingly abandoned Brandi in Lima, she had begged him not to reveal her. James had come home before he had had a chance to find out exactly why she was so terrified of him. He took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking again.

"Your daughter could have died. If you had reported that she was missing to the police, or even responded to us when we tried to let you know that she had been found, I would have given you the benefit of the doubt. You didn't though, so I won't. You don't deserve it."

Finn's tone was cold as he stared Brandi's father down. James tried to stare him down in return, showing that he wasn't intimidated, but the shaking of his hand gave him away.

"Look, if you're going to threaten to take her away from me, just go ahead and do it. Let's not go through the whole charade of me pretending like I actually care and will fight you. I don't want her. Let's just make a clean break of this. She's in your care. Find someone to take her in, if you can, and we'll be done with it."

"Oh, I'm more than happy to put her in someone else's care, especially if I know you aren't going to fight me on it, but you're forgetting one little detail. You abandoned your daughter on the streets. That's not just something I can forget."

"What exactly did Brandi tell you?" James asked with a knowing look.

Finn was silent and James smirked.

"So, she is telling you nothing," he said with a satisfied smile. He turned a leveling look at his wife, even though he was still speaking to Finn. "Unless SOMEONE told you differently, you have only my word, and I'm telling you that she ran away."

Finn flexed his bandaged fingers into a fist, not able to help himself picturing this guy with a broken nose.

"You know as well as I that the state is overwhelmed with TRUE cases of abuse. You can report me, and you probably will, knowing you and your overly developed sense of justice. At the very most though, I'll get a slap on the wrist, because I've DONE. NOTHING. WRONG."

Finn nodded his head slowly, not in agreement, but in realization of the fact that for the moment, this man was right. If Brandi remained unwilling to reveal the truth, and if Diane remained as scared as she was of her husband, Finn didn't really have a leg to stand on.

"Well, we'll see about that I guess," Finn whispered harshly. "I'll be taking the steps to remove her from your custody then. At least we can agree on that one thing."

James smirked again. "You'll get no argument from me. Now, I'd like for you to leave my home. I don't think we have anything further to say to each other tonight."

Finn could feel himself shaking in anger by this point, and figured it was probably a good thing that he was leaving. He didn't think he'd be able to control himself much longer. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door, but stopped to shoot Diane one last look. He couldn't lose the feeling that leaving this woman here was a bad idea, but he couldn't force her to leave. She was giving no indication that she was looking for an escape. Indeed, she pointedly looked away when he glanced in her direction, cheeks flushing.

The social worker sighed heavily and stalked toward the door. She had his card, he had slipped it to her before James came home. There wasn't anything more that he could at this point. He stepped out the front door and turned back just in time to have it slam in his face.

As he stalked toward his car, intent on starting the process of taking Brandi away from the clutches of this man as soon as possible, he satisfied himself with imagining what it would feel like to punch him in the face... over and over.

* * *

**Saturday Morning**

Kurt blinked sleepily before glancing over to the other side of the bed. He sighed contentedly when he saw his husband's tousled curls resting on the pillow next to him, and immediately scooted himself into the middle of the bed so that he could pull the nurse into his arms. He let out another deep sigh as Blaine immediately flipped himself over and snuggled face-first down into his chest, wrapping arms and legs around him like a koala. Kurt laughed to himself as his sleep-heavy eyes fell shut once again.

This. This was what he had been missing. Between their altered schedule, and the fact that Tia seemed to end up in bed with them every other night, they had been missing their morning cuddles. Kurt didn't realize how much he had missed them until he had gone without. Apparently his husband felt the same.

Blaine let out a soft little snore as he rubbed his nose down into Kurt's chest, and clung to him even more tightly. Kurt gasped and gently squeezed Blaine's side.

"Babe? Ease up just a bit. I kinda need to breathe."

"Mmmm, whazzat?" Blaine mumbled against his chest, not loosening his hold even the tiniest bit.

"Blaine. Honey, I've gotta breathe," Kurt grunted in an amused voice. Blaine peeked out of one eye then and looked up in confusion. His cheeks were flushed from sleep and his curls resembled a mini-fro, sticking up every which way. Even in his pinned down position, Kurt couldn't help but melt a bit at how absolutely adorable his husband was.

"Oh, sorry sweetie," Blaine murmured, finally waking just enough to realize that he was suffocating his husband with his hold yet again. This was a regular thing for them. Blaine would cling to Kurt as though his life depended on it while he slept, and Kurt would have to gently wake him up to keep from being smothered.

He was just about the settle himself back down onto Kurt's chest, when the doctor surprised him, flipping him over onto his back and covering him in kisses.

"Mmmm..." Blaine moaned, reaching his fingers up to thread through Kurt's sleep-mussed hair. Kurt groaned at the slight tug before running his tongue lightly over Blaine's collar bone, leaving a damp trail.

"Oooh, god..." Blaine whispered. "Please tell me you intend to keep going."

Kurt pulled back from his husband's neck with a grin, then leaned in to rub their noses together.

"I have every intention of finishing this. I don't know how long the kids will sleep for though, so tell me exactly what you want. I want to get started and make you feel so good."

Blaine shivered a little in anticipation. He loved it when Kurt talked like this. Sometimes it just felt amazing to sit back and be taken care of, and Kurt knew exactly how to take care of him.

"I want you to make love to me," he whispered. "I want you to take me. I want to feel you."

Kurt nodded slowly, his breath catching in his throat as he looked down at Blaine. He quickly rid them both of their pajamas, and pressed himself down on top of his husband, covering him completely.

Blaine sucked in a deep breath as Kurt slotted their legs together and slowly started to rotate his hips, gently grinding down into him. The doctor brushed his lips in smooth, light touches, up and down Blaine's neck and face.

Blaine relaxed completely, soaking up the feeling of being covered and loved. There had never been anyone else in his life whom he could be so vulnerable with, yet feel so comfortable. No matter how long he and Kurt were together, this never ceased to amaze him.

The kisses and light thrusts quickly became intense, and they were both breathing heavily as they grasped at each other, desperate for more.

Kurt sat up quickly to scramble in their dresser drawer and Blaine pulled a pillow underneath his hips, knowing how that little bit of leverage made all difference in the world.

"God, I've missed this," Kurt sighed as he slipped a slicked-up hand out to start prepping his husband. "It's been a while since we've done it this way." Blaine closed his eyes, tipping his head back on the pillow.

"Me too," he breathed, thrusting up a bit onto Kurt's hand. "I'll never get over how much I love having you touch me like this, baby."

Kurt smiled, leaning down to pepper light kisses all over Blaine's chest as he took his time, thrusting his fingers in and out. With each push, he crooked his fingers just a bit, searching for that certain spot. Just as he added a third finger, Blaine broke out in a loud whimper and thrashed his head to the side as his hips jerked forward. Kurt grinned and picked up his tempo, leaning to flick one of Blaine's hardening nipples with his tongue in time with his thrusts.

"Shit, Kurt! Oh shit," Blaine moaned over and over again, repeating himself with every brush against his prostrate. He was practically trembling underneath his husband by then, and driving his hips up and forward.

"Are you ready, baby," Kurt asked in a shaky voice. He was grateful that Blaine seemed to be close already. He was achingly hard and knew that this was probably going to be embarrassingly short for him.

"Hell yes!" Blaine reached up to thread his fingers together around Kurt's neck, pulling him down close so that they were nose-to-nose.

Kurt snatched up the lube once more, smearing a generous amount onto himself quickly before lining himself up and entering Blaine with a satisfied moan.

"Oh, Blaine! Oh yes. You feel so good. Oh my god..."

Blaine let out a deep breath and let go of his hold around the doctor's neck. He grasped both of Kurt's hands in his, raising them above his head on the mattress. Kurt linked their fingers together and gently held Blaine's hands as he pressed his entire body down on top of his husband.

"Are you good, baby," his voice was tight as he fought to restrain himself. It really had been quite a while since they'd had sex like this, and he knew Blaine was bound to be tighter than normal. The last thing he wanted was for him to be sore for the rest of the day. Blaine could send his hesitance and opened his eyes.

"God, yes. Don't hold back. I want this. I need you to just fuck me."

Kurt whimpered at Blaine's words, and it turned into a loud groan as he pulled out almost all the way before jutting forward sharply, bottoming out in one thrust. Blaine let out a small cry, pleasure etched across his face. He hiked one leg up and around Kurt's waist, holding him close as they moved in time together.

Kurt gasped and panted, squeezing the nurse's hands down into the mattress as he picked up his pace. He felt himself tense and clench as jolts of pleasure crashed into him over and over, building in intensity with every hit of skin-on-skin.

He was lying on top of Blaine completely, and could feel his husband's dick being rubbed between their stomachs every time he lunged forward. Blaine was squirming and writhing beneath him, meeting Kurt with every move in an effort to get as much friction as possible.

"Kurt," Blaine choked out as his body spasmed uncontrollably. His orgasm hit him, seemingly out of nowhere, and he jerked his hips up to meet Kurt's sharply. The feeling of Blaine's tightening around him, becoming impossibly tight around his dick, was all Kurt needed. Something snapped inside and he was coming hard, just as suddenly as Blaine.

He moaned deep in his chest as he stuttered forward, managing one more tiny thrust before collapsing completely on Blaine's chest. They both panted shaky breaths into each others necks, unable to move as they slowly came down from their high.

"Wow," Kurt mumbled, sleepily pulling his head up from Blaine's shoulder and placing lazy, sloppy kisses down his neck. "I think that was a new record. I don't know if we've ever come that fast together."

"Mmmm, I know," Blaine mumbled. His eyes closed and an incredibly sated look crossed his face. "That's what happens when we go for so long without you fucking me. You make me fall apart within seconds and I don't stand a chance."

Kurt laughed as he pulled out gingerly. Blaine made a little noise of disappointment at the loss but stretched as he sat up, kissing Kurt softly.

"I guess we'll just need to do it more often then, huh?" Kurt murmured against his mouth, pulling Blaine's bottom lip into his mouth and nipping at it lightly.

"How about right now?"

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. Let's just..."

A loud giggle and the pattering of footsteps in the hall stopped them in their tracks. Blaine laughed and sighed as he pushed Kurt back off of him.

"I guess our days for twofers have been numbered, huh?"

"I suppose we should just be grateful that we got in a onefer," Kurt grinned as he jumped up out of bed. Blaine quirked an eyebrow and snorted a laugh.

"Um, onefer, honey? Really?"

"Shut up," Kurt stuck out his tongue before ducking into the bathroom for a shower.

Blaine laughed and rolled his eyes before climbing out of bed himself. He snatched up some clothes and joined Kurt in a quick shower before going out to the kids.

* * *

Blaine opened the door to Tia's room, and was surprised to find the crib empty. He moved back down the hall and headed toward the kitchen. The sound of clinking dishes and soft giggles, along with the smell of cooking food peaked his curiosity, and he tip-toed quietly to the edge of the hallway. The vision in front of him put the most incredible smile on his face, and he put a hand up to his mouth as he watched his kids in action.

Addy was methodically placing one piece of toast in the toaster at a time and watching it closely, jumping as it popped up before placing it on a plate in front of Elliott. The other six-year-old was waiting with butter knife in hand to carefully butter up each piece.

Liam was standing next to Elliott on a stool, and Blaine laughed when he saw that he had a tiny pink knife and saucer that came from Addy's tea set. The two-year-old was mimicking the older boy's motions with a piece of untoasted bread.

Tia had been set up in her high chair with a sippy cup and small pile of Cheerios, of which she was happily demolishing.

Cara was bustling around the kitchen, wearing the flowered apron over her swollen abdomen, and looking extremely domestic. She was pulling out the cutlery and pouring juice into small glasses that were lined up on the counter. She smiled reassuringly at Brandi as she joined the younger teen at the stove.

Brandi looked at her tentatively, even a little nervously, as she stirred what looked like a massive panful of scrambled eggs. Cara grabbed up a pair of tongs and started flipping some pieces of bacon that were sizzling in another pan. Cara leaned over to peer into Brandi's pan and took an appreciative sniff.

"Oh my goodness, Brandi! Those look amazing! I don't know how you did that. When I make scrambled eggs they end up as a gooey, inedible mess. Good job! I can't wait to eat those!"

Brandi blushed at the praise and ducked her head. Blaine thought he heard her whisper a tiny thank you and watched as Cara patted her on the back with another bright smile. Not for the first time this week, he was incredibly thankful for the addition of Cara to their lives, for so many reasons. His chest tightened when he considered the fact that she would be leaving them for good in just a couple of months. The thought of not having her around was heavy and unhappy, though he knew that this was ultimately what everyone wanted. He swallowed uncomfortably and pushed away those sad thoughts, aware that there was nothing he could do about that for the time being.

He jumped a little when he felt arms wrap around his waist, and smiled as soap and coconut scented shampoo filled his senses. He felt Kurt's damp hair press up against his cheek as a voice whispered in his ear.

"Why are we hiding out in the hallway?"

Blaine snickered a little and pulled out of Kurt's arms as he placed a kiss on his cheek.

"We're not. Our children were just being extra precious and I couldn't help watching them for a moment."

"Did they cook breakfast?" Kurt asked in surprise, finally observing what was going on in the kitchen. Blaine nodded happily pulling Kurt forward by the hand.

"Come on. Let's go enjoy the very first breakfast that we haven't had to cook ourselves in I don't know how long."

"What do we do if there are shells in the eggs or something," Kurt hissed, but he was smiling, so Blaine knew he wasn't actually that worried.

"Just chew carefully," he winked, before stepping into the kitchen and greeting all of the kids with a cheerful 'good morning'.

* * *

"So," Blaine spoke up as he reached out to wipe Tia's messy face with a napkin. "What should we do today? I think this is the first day that we've had in a long time where we haven't had anything planned. It's kind of a nice feeling."

"Wow, you're right," Kurt said in surprise. He reached out help Liam balance a particularly big spoonful of eggs as the toddler brought it up to his mouth. "Well, I was thinking..." he trailed off momentarily when he caught Brandi out of the corner of his eye.

She looked much better this morning, like she had regained some of her life and energy. She had ended up sleeping the entire afternoon and evening through. They had debated waking her to eat some dinner, knowing how badly she needed to gain weight, but when Kurt had gone in to check on her she had been sleeping so soundly. The father in him decided that waking such an exhausted child wouldn't necessarily be in her favor.

Meals at their house tended to be a bit of a free-for-all, with plates and dishes being passed at random, and people helping themselves as they wished, with the exception of the two littlest. Everyone at the table had full plates and were munching away happily, except for Brandi.

She had put a single piece of toast on her plate and was nibbling on a small corner, looking uncomfortable and like she was trying make herself as small as possible in her chair. The only time she showed any interest in what was going on around her was when Tia or Liam expressed the need for any type of help. Blaine and Kurt were taking care of them though. On one hand she seemed comforted and relieved to see her siblings so well taken care of. Outside of her relief though, she just seemed uncomfortable and uncertain.

Kurt wasn't sure if she wasn't eating because she felt unsure as to how comfortable she should make herself, or because she had gotten so used to not eating. Either way, this wasn't going to work. He shook his head, bringing himself back to the moment when he realized that he had been silent for longer than he intended. Blaine was looking at him expectantly, with a questioning look on his face.

"Sorry, spaced out for a minute," he smiled, rolling his eyes at himself. "Elliott, don't you have a science fair project that you need to work on?" He glanced down the table to his son as he stood, grabbing up the serving platter of eggs.

"Yeah," Elliott answered, swallowing a mouthful bacon. "I have to have my idea turned in on Monday."

Kurt walked around the table, scooping a little bit of egg onto everyone's plates as he went. Blaine watched him curiously as he scooped more food onto the nurse's already full plate. Kurt avoided his gaze though, acting like this was perfectly normal, so Blaine said nothing.

"What would you like to do it on?" Kurt asked excitedly. "I've got some great ideas..."

"Actually," Elliott interrupted his father in a gentle voice. "I was hoping daddy could help me with this one," sending a pointed glance down to Blaine.

Kurt paused with the serving spoon in mid-air as he was about to serve up a little more breakfast to Cara.

"But... I always help you with this kind of stuff," he responded, trying his best to not sound hurt, but not really succeeding.

"I know," Elliott said uncertainly. "Daddy Blaine is really good at projects though."

Blaine bit lip and shot his husband a sympathetic look.

"'Sides," Addy piped up, "You're just a doctor, daddy. You don't know stuff about science."

Cara snorted loudly into her eggs, but then looked pointedly away, trying to pretend that it hadn't happened. Blaine buried his face in his hands and shook his head.

"Actually, Adelaide," Blaine spoke up. "You have to be really good at science to be in medicine. Daddy and I both had to take lots of science classes to get our degrees. Daddy even more so than me, and I know for a fact that he carried a 4.0 all the way through medical school."

"What does 4.0 mean?" Addy asked around a mouthful of toast.

"It means daddy is really smart. And don't talk with your mouth full."

Addy swallowed quickly before continuing.

"Okay, but what does cutting frogs apart have to do with making people not sick anymore?" Addy asked, looking genuinely confused. It was Kurt's turn to snort a little laugh before shaking his head.

"There's more to science than cutting up frogs, princess... but El?" He looked over to Elliott who was gazing back guiltily. "It's no problem. Daddy can help you with it. He's good at science too, and you're right. He's really great at projects like this." Kurt walked behind his husband, placing a kiss on the crazed curls as he passed. "Why don't you guys try and figure out what you're going to do and you can work on it later this morning."

The rest of the family dove into a lively debate about the possibilities for Elliott's project, and even Cara joined in with some ideas. Kurt took the opportunity to kneel down by Brandi's side and look up at her with a gentle smile.

"I find it kind of hard to believe that you're not at all hungry, honey."

She glanced at him nervously, and looked off to the side, obviously uncertain. Kurt watched her for a moment, before wordlessly scooping a large spoonful of eggs onto her plate.

"Brandi, you have two jobs right now. Two little rules I want you to follow if you're going to stay with us."

She looked at him with wide, nervous eyes and nodded her head quickly to show that she was listening. She felt her stomach clench, waiting for him to continue. As welcome as they had made her, she felt a bit like she was floundering. She had never once lived in an environment like this, and it was completely foreign to her. She felt almost as if she could say or do anything, and they would still accept her, but that kind of freedom was terrifying for someone who had never truly known it before.

"First of all," Kurt said gently. "You're a kid. Be a kid. Let us take care of you. You get to worry about only yourself for once in your life."

She took a ragged breath and nodded shakily. That kind of thing was easier said than done. She really had no idea how to be a normal kid. She eyed Elly and Addy before glancing over at Cara. She figured if she observed them enough, and then acted somewhere in between she would be alright. Kurt sensed her extreme uncertainty and smiled as he patted her leg.

"Brandi, I'm not trying to put any pressure on you. You don't have to be anyone other than who you are. I just don't want you to worry about anything is all."

She nodded again, this time carefully returning his smile. She would try. She would do anything for these two men who had rescued her. Kurt returned her nod and patted her knee once more.

"Second and final rule, though as a dad I do reserve the right to make up more rules down the road if need be." He gave her a little sideways glance and she broke into a wide grin at that. He grew serious again though, and looked straight into her eyes. "Take care of yourself. Get better. That includes getting lots of rest, which you got a good start on last night... good job (he winked)... and then there's eating. I know that this is all new and probably pretty jarring for you. I also know that when I'm unsettled, I sometimes lose my appetite. I don't want to force you... but honey, as much as you can handle, you really need to eat." He looked at her plate of food pointedly and handed her a fork. She took the utensil from him and swallowed away her nerves.

"I'll try really hard to not disappoint you," she said softly, gently scooping up some food with her fork. She paused though when she saw him crouch back down at her side and felt his hand on hers. She looked up, straight into the confident blue eyes.

"I want to make one thing very clear, Brandi. You will never, not ever, disappoint me. Same with Blaine. You couldn't possibly."

Her eyes widened and he took her thin hand between both of his.

"We care about what happens to you and we want to see you as happy and healthy as possible. That's all we want. You don't ever have to worry about whether you've made Blaine or I happy. That's not your job. Our job is to take care of you, and to care about you, which we do. Your job, is to let us... and to just be you."

Brandi stared back at this man with butterflies going like crazy in her stomach. For the first time in her life, she felt the genuine desire to call someone 'father'.

She wouldn't. It was way too soon, and way too presumptuous. She wanted to though, and for her, that was huge. She felt a warmth swirl around in her chest, and then, for the first time in longer than she could remember... she was really hungry.

She picked up her fork once again and took a tentative bite, smiling shyly at Kurt as she did so. He grinned back and leaned in to press a light kiss on her hair as he stood and moved away.

Blaine had grabbed a piece of paper and was jotting down all of the ideas they were coming up with for Elliott's science project, but was watching the interactions between Kurt and Brandi out of the corner of his eye. When he watched Brandi take the first real bite of food with a smile, his turned back to the rest of the kids. His heart was aching, but in the best way possible. He really didn't think he could love that man any more if he tried.

* * *

"K, guys. It's almost lunchtime. Who's hungry?"

"Me, daddy! Me! Me!"

Kurt laughed and whipped Addy up into the air, settling her on his shoulders.

"Why does that not surprise me, princess?"

"Can we get pretzels? 'N can we get Orange Julius to go with them?" She leaned down, long black curls hanging in his face as she peered at him with sparkling hazel eyes. Kurt felt his heart lurch just a tiny bit, seeing in this moment how much she looked like Blaine, and what a little beauty she was turning into. He tipped his head up to give her a little kiss and rub their noses together, causing her to giggle and squirm on his shoulders.

"I don't mind, baby, but you need to ask the other girls if that sounds good to them." He turned back behind him to glance at the other three girls.

They had decided shortly after breakfast, that Kurt would spend the rest of the morning with the four girls and take them to the mall. All four were in need of new clothing, and that type of thing was exactly what Kurt loved. They had bought Tia several things before they took her in, but they were going to need a lot more now that they knew she was going to be with them long term. Liam also needed a few things, but Kurt could just pick that up along with Tia's. Addy had gone through a growth spurt recently, and most of her pants were too short, plus she needed a winter coat. Cara had consented to Kurt buying her a few maternity items, of which he was super excited about, and Brandi really needed everything.

Cara was pushing the stroller which contained Tia and was completely laden with bags from 'A Pea In The Pod', 'Express', 'Buckle', 'Justice' and 'Gymboree'. There were also a couple of bags from 'Victoria's Secret', which Brandi was trying to discreetly hide behind her back. Kurt was being a good sport and pretending not to notice. When it had come to that store, Kurt had floundered for a moment. He had no qualms about shopping in a place like that, but to a teenage girl, a dad was a dad. It didn't matter if he was gay or not, so Kurt had slipped the older two his credit card and taken Addy and Tia to shop for the littlest ones.

Besides, by then Brandi looked like she was being quickly sapped of energy, and he figured if they split up he would be able to get her home and resting sooner.

Now he was thinking that getting her to sit down and consume something might be the best idea. There were still things they needed for her, but he figured they had done enough for one day.

"I'm up for pretzels and smoothies!" Cara piped up with a grin. She turned to Brandi. "How about you?"

Brandi glanced at them nervously, "I-I just don't have any money, and you've already spent so much on me. I can't ask..."

Addy interrupted her with a giggle.

"Brandi, you're so silly. That's what Daddy's for! He ALWAYS buys us a pretzel when we go shopping. He's the best daddy ever!" She finished her sentence by wrapping her arms around Kurt's face and hugging him tight.

"Daddy needs to see where he's going if he's going to buy you anything else, love." Kurt reached his arms up to hug her before setting her back down on her feet. She skipped along beside him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tight.

"Um, daddy?"

"What is it, baby?" Kurt looked down at his daughter in concern. She suddenly sounded serious and a little sad, which was fairly out of character for her. Adelaide was a happy-go-lucky child a majority of the time. She spent her days skipping, bouncing and laughing, causing everyone in her path to smile lightheartedly along with her.

She was also incredibly sensitive though. When something sad struck her the right way, it was very disturbing and upsetting for her. It was always heartbreaking for him to see his vibrant little girl turn melancholy.

"Are you mad at me that I said you didn't know about science stuff earlier?"

Kurt held her to his side and smiled then.

"Not in the slightest, princess."

"'Cuz I know you're smart. You're like the smartest daddy ever. You're way smarter than all my friend's daddies," she said earnestly. "Sometimes I say things and they come out all funny. Elly says I just need to think more before I talk. I try to, really, but I can't help it. Sometimes I feel like if I don't say words I'll just explode. I don't have time to be all quiet and thinkful like Elly."

Kurt bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the word 'thinkful'.

"Well, thank you. That means a lot to me... and Addy? I don't want you to be Elliott. I want you to be you. Yes, there is something to be said for thinking before you speak, and as you get older you'll figure that out. For right now though, try your best to be loving to your friends and family while being exactly who you are. That's all I ever ask of you."

The little girl grinned and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"Okay, daddy. I love you lots."

"I love you lots too," he smiled, leaning down to hug her close.

Addy squeezed him back, before skipping back to Cara to "help" push the stroller. Kurt laughed at her ever-changing personality, and took the chance to scoot back next to Brandi. He offered her his elbow and after only a tiny hesitation she took it with a smile. He was immediately concerned when he felt most of her weight sag against him.

"Do you need to sit down right now, honey? Because we can. Whatever you need."

She smiled up at him, sure that this man's thoughtfulness would never cease to amaze her.

"I'm good, I think. It will feel good to sit down soon though... and I'm a little hungry," she finished shyly.

"Then, sweetheart. I will feed you to your heart's content."

She blushed and tipped her head down a little, but couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across her face. She didn't think she had ever been happier in her life. She was starting to think that at any moment she was going to wake up and find out that this was all a dream... but oh, what a dream.

* * *

**Saturday Afternoon**

A grin spread across Kurt's face when he walked through the door an hour later, arms laden with shopping bags, to hear Blaine singing along with his guitar. He absolutely loved it when Blaine sang. There was something so beautiful and natural about it. He rarely did it though, for whatever reason. Kurt would ask and ask for his husband to sing to him sometimes, only to be denied with an embarrassed shrug and a blush. Kurt always wondered deep down if his hesitation to perform had something to do with Alex somehow, but it seemed like a poor reason to bring up such a sore topic, so he always let it go.

Addy rushed inside with her own handful of bags to dive on her father's lap, excitedly showing him her new clothing. Brandi and Cara followed behind Kurt, helping Tia walk along between them with shaky steps. Kurt relieved the girls of all the bags and set them in a huge pile on the living room floor.

Blaine listened to Addy's narration of their trip with a smile and complimented her on her fabulous taste with every new outfit she showed him. He looked over at the enormous pile of shopping bags in amusement. He normally would have made a joke about Kurt buying out the entire mall, but didn't want to do anything to unintentionally make Brandi feel like she was a burden, which he knew she would be prone to do. He just grinned at the rest of them while still strumming at the strings.

"You guys have fun? Get everything you need?"

"Mostly," Kurt said, peeling off his coat and coming over to give his husband a kiss. "Liam needs a few more things, but I'll probably need him with me to match sizes. Also, Brandi needs a few more basic items, but we can do that another day."

Blaine glanced over to see the young teen sink gratefully onto the couch and fight to keep her eyes open. He smiled and set his guitar aside, going over to gently push her into a lying position. He slipped a pillow under her head and tucked a throw blanket over her. She blinked at him sleepily as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, whispering for her to go to sleep and stay there for as long as she liked.

She was sound asleep in about thirty seconds.

Kurt watched his husband tuck their newest charge in with a smile, before glancing over at Cara. She was looking incredibly worn out herself as she sank down onto their love seat with a sigh. The doctor felt a pang of worry and quickly stepped over, sitting down on the edge of the sofa.

"Are you alright? Was today too much for you? How are those braxton hicks contractions? Oh gosh, we pushed you too much. You seem so comfortable and confident all the time and I forget that you should be taking it easy. What do you need?"

Cara looked at him with eyes continually growing in amusement.

"Dr. Hum-Kurt? I'm perfectly fine. I seem comfortable most of the time because I genuinely am. Since you picked up that special pillow for me the other day I've been sleeping like a log, and I really do have tons of energy. Today was just big, but in a great way."

Kurt visibly relaxed and sank into the couch next to her with a smile.

"Thank you, again, for buying all of those clothes. You really spoiled me. I can't believe I let you get ALL of it!"

"You're quite welcome," he said with a happy sigh. "It was my pleasure. Like I said before, this kind of thing is so much fun for me, so you really did me a favor by letting me go nuts."

She nodded with a smile before squirming uncomfortably and kicking off her shoes.

"I think my ankles may be starting to swell," she said regretfully, attempting to reach down and massage her ankle. She couldn't quite reach though with her belly in the way. Kurt eyed her cautiously.

"I'm not trying to be creepy or weird, but can I help? If you prop your legs up here I can rub your ankles for you. Having them elevated will do a lot of good, and then the massage just feels great. I did it for my sister-in-law all the time when she was pregnant with her first baby."

Cara looked at him like Christmas had come early and eagerly plopped her feet onto his lap. He laughed and began gently massaging her ankles over top of her jeans. She let out a huge sigh of contentment and let her head fall back onto the arm rest.

"How'd the science project go?" Kurt asked his husband, who had picked up his guitar once again and sat down on the coffee table on front of Kurt and Cara. He glanced at Cara questioningly, who laughed with an "Of course!", before placing both hands on her stomach. He glanced over his shoulder at their son, who was building a block tower for Tia in the corner, and turned back with a smile playing at his lips.

"Um, he decided that he wants to do it on waterproof mascara."

"Waterproof mascara?" Kurt looked at him in disbelief.

"Yup," Blaine replied, still reigning in his smile and moving his hands slightly to try and feel the baby move. "He saw a commercial after you left advertising it, and asked me if it really works. I told him I didn't have any idea, seeing as I've never worn makeup. He told me he didn't think that it did, because every time Aunt Rachel cries, she has black marks on her face."

Kurt shook with laughter.

"Sooo..." he encouraged Blaine to continue.

"So, we went to the drug store and bought a bunch of different types and made a chart of how we are going to test them and find out which ones really work."

Kurt looked at Blaine with a smirk, and they proceeded to have one of those conversations where neither had to say a word out loud. They didn't really want to talk about something sensitive in front of Cara. They knew each other so well, that facial expressions and body language were usually enough for them to know the gist of what the other was thinking.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at his husband and looked at him skeptically.

_So, our son, who is being teased at school for having two gay dads, is doing his science fair project on make-up?_

Blaine raised both eyebrows and shook his head a tiny bit while lifting his shoulders.

_It was his idea! Would you have wanted me to stop him?_

Kurt cocked his head to the side and smiled lovingly while shaking his head slowly.

_Of course not. You did exactly what I would have done._

He shrugged then, looking a little uncertain as he gestured to himself.

_I just can't stand the thought of him bringing on any more teasing. God knows I know what that's like._

Blaine reached out to rub Kurt's knee and gazed into his eyes.

_Yes, and look how amazing you turned out._

Kurt smiled then and leaned over Cara's legs to kiss Blaine softly.

"I love you," he whispered.

To which Blaine whispered back, "I know."

Kurt looked over at Elliott then. Quiet, confident and loving Elliott, who was patiently attempting to teach Tia how to stack some blocks.

"God, I love that kid," he whispered next. Blaine grinned.

"I know that too, and so does Elliott."

The six-year-old chose that moment to look up and grin widely at both of his fathers. Blue eyes shining on either side of a lightly freckled nose. Kurt held out an arm, and Elly dashed from the floor to scramble up against Kurt's side. Tia crawled after quickly and Kurt pulled her up onto the couch next to him, settling the little girl on Elliott's lap as he squeezed his son against him.

Addy, who had been happily laying out her new outfits and contemplating what she would wear to school on Monday, saw that her family was gathering in one spot and quickly hopped over to join them. She kneeled down between Blaine and Cara, joining her dad in trying to feel the baby move. Liam followed, climbing down from where he had been snuggling with his older sister. He pressed up against Blaine, looping his small fingers into the nurse's pocket and sighing in contentment.

"How come the baby isn't moving?" Addy asked, the disappointment obvious in her voice.

"I guess it's just sleeping now, princess," Blaine responded, nuzzling a kiss down into his daughter's curls.

"But Cara has to go home soon," Addy said softly, with a little pout. "I wanted to feel our new sister move once more before then."

"Uh-uh!" Elliott piped up in uncharacteristic defiance. "It's gotta be a boy. We already have more girls than boys."

"Not if you count daddies!" Addy argued.

"Daddies don't count," Elliott argued back. "They're grown-ups. Only kids count!"

"Sometimes daddy is like a kid!" Addy patted Blaine on the knee. He snapped his head up so fast his curls bounced, and shot his daughter an offended look. She didn't notice. "Like when he plays games with us, or is super silly and dances in the kitchen..."

"Oookaaay," Kurt interrupted. "Let's just decided that we're going to love this baby no matter what. Deal?"

Addy and Elly both had the grace to look a little chagrined, and nodded to their father agreeably. Kurt glanced at Blaine then, noticing that he still had his guitar in hand, and quickly spoke up.

"I've got an idea. Maybe Daddy will play for the baby, and sing. That might get it to wake up and move for us." He glanced down at Cara first, to see if she had any objections. She nodded eagerly though and looked to Blaine expectantly. Addy and Elliott both jumped and cheered for him to sing too. Liam got an excited look and tugged on Blaine's pocket eagerly, even though he didn't quite understand what was going on. Blaine just looked at Kurt with a grin and shook his head.

"Only if Daddy will sing with me."

"Whatever you want, baby," Kurt grinned.

Blaine looked down for a moment, strumming a few random chords while the rest of the family looked on expectantly. He looked up intently at Kurt when he seemed to make up his mind, and started the song. He smiled at his husband softly, waiting for him to realize what he was playing. They had only heard the song together once actually, but it had hit a pretty significant chord with them.

A slow smile spread across Kurt's face and he blinked a couple of times, willing himself to not get all teary. This really was the most perfect song for their family, and the most perfect song for them to sing to the new baby. Blaine looked down at Cara's baby bump then, and started softly.

**_When one became two, well the two of us knew_**

**_That whatever will be's gonna be_**

**_And what was to be was that two became three_**

**_It's beginning to look like a family_**

Blaine looked at Kurt then and nodded. Kurt smiled and started to sing next.

**_I still remember that day in September_**

**_When I heard that three would be four_**

**_It gave me the spins when I heard it was twins_**

_**We were jumping for joy, for a new girl and boy**_

(he tapped Tia and Liam each on the nose as he sang this line)

_**And so what was to be**_

_**Was much bigger than three**_

_**It's beginning to look like a family**_

They looked straight into each others eyes then, and sang together. Cara watched, feeling happy tears sting the corners of her eyes, thinking she couldn't possibly have gotten any luckier.

_**If we burst at the seams**_

_**We'll put beds in the beams and the rafters**_

_**It'll fit like a glove**_

_**Little house full of love and laughter**_

Blaine was about to go on, still smiling at Kurt, when Addy interrupted his playing with a little screech.

"The baby's moving! She's moving!"

"Yeah!" Elliott yelped excitedly. "He's moving!"

Both six-year-olds grasped onto Cara's abdomen with two hands, giggling at every little bump and ripple. Blaine slung his guitar around to his back and snatched Liam to his lap, helping the little boy feel too. Kurt reached in a hand next to Elliott, holding Tia into place with an arm around both kids.

Cara realized that she probably would have felt smothered, had it been anybody else.

It wasn't anybody else though.

It was the most loving, accepting and amazing family in the entire world. A family who was going to adopt her baby. A family whom she loved dearly even after one week. A family who would absolutely rip her heart out when it was time to break off contact. A tiny tear trickled down her cheek, and she was thankful that no one noticed. It was a tear that held just the tiniest bit of sadness, knowing how much it would kill her to say goodbye, but it was also a tear of joy. A much bigger portion of joy. She couldn't have found a better couple. She couldn't have been more thankful.

Addy and Elly were quietly and good-naturedly arguing back and forth again about whether it was a girl or a boy, until Blaine shushed them and told them to just enjoy the moment.

Kurt jumped slightly when the baby sent a solid kick, right to where his hand was. He grinned brightly, and Cara heard him whisper softly.

"Baby, I don't care who or what you are. I just can't wait to meet you. Daddy and I are going to love you so much, you won't hardly be able to stand it."

_Yup, _Cara thought again, this time letting the tears flow freely. _I really couldn't have found anyone better._

* * *

AN- I don't normally incorporate a ton of music into my fics, but this was too perfect :) The song is "When One Became Two" by The Verve Pipe. Take a listen, it's absolutely adorable :)

Cris- Wow, thank you! I'm a little at a loss because of how wonderful that review was! I appreciate it so much :)

Guest- Yeah, I'm pretty proud of them too :)

Liss- Thank you!

Beth- Much love right back, as always!

Chloe- Our little bundle will be born in December, and it is mid-October in the fic. Fairly soon though we will be skipping through time at a faster pace, so I'd say within the next five chapters easily, if not sooner. I'm so glad you got more sleep!

I want to take a sec to do something I don't normally do, and probably won't make a habit of. I want to recommend a fic I ran across the other day. It is called "Second Star to the Right" by readinginheels. It is the only Glee/Peter Pan crossover that I have ever come across (not that I've read everything out there), so I love it for it's sheer uniqueness. On top of that, it is just superbly written. She uses the characters from Glee, but adds it to the childlike innocence and awe of anything magical that you find in Peter Pan. It's still near the beginning, but I highly recommend if you're looking for something lovely and innocent and just plain enjoyable :)

Love to you all!

PickingViolets


	12. Chapter 12

AN- The formatting for this chapter is just a tad different. We are skipping faster through time for a bit, so there won't be a heading telling us the day/time like in all the past chapters. There will be occasional headings to let you know where we are in time when we stop to look at a specific part of the story.

Bigbird, clk3, Cris, G, Liam, Chloe, Beth... thank you all so very much for your lovely words! Every encouraging review has just put the biggest smile on my face :)

Two things:

1. I somehow managed to lose six thousand words of this chapter... and cried my first ever legit tears over FF. Your reviews and PMs made me not want to chuck my computer up against a wall, suck it up and retype everything :) I love you guys! That being said though, by the time I was done I was completely exhausted from this chapter, so I only edited it once. Please forgive me if there are a few more mistakes than normal, and I will go back to brush it up when I can stand to look at a computer screen again ;)

2. Everyone has their critics, but not everyone has this kind of support. I am blown away by the things so many of you had to say in support of me and my work in this last chapter. Again, I came close to crying legit tears over they way so many of you backed me up. It honestly meant the world to me and kept me writing this week, so thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Much Love,

PickingViolets

* * *

The next month and a half flew by in a dizzy haze for the Hummel family. Kurt and Blaine both went back to work, Tia and Liam started at "Hudmel's Daycare" when needed, and Brandi settled in to their family and routine. Cara continued to stay with them on a regular basis when her father traveled for work, and visited most days even when her father was home. Some days they were even able to talk her father into joining them all for dinner. Paul continued to help them out, with the kids and around the house, and Elliott and Adelaide absolutely thrived in their extended family.

Both Kurt and Blaine had been understandably concerned about how the sudden and numerous additions would affect the children they already had, but they needn't have worried. The two dads were more proud than they could say of their six-year-olds. Well, Elliott had just turned seven the last week. The pair of first graders were proving to be loving and generous, almost to a fault, when it came to their new siblings. Every toy was shared. Any sign that one of the foster children was at all insecure, or needed something, and Addy or Elly would be there in a moment's notice. Tia and Liam were starting to look at their older brother and sister with awe and adoration. Liam had taken to calling Addy "sissy", just like he did with Brandi, and Elly had become "bubby". Adding Adelaide to the "sissy" category had seemed understandable and natural, but they hadn't been sure at first where "bubby" had come from. They finally realized that the toddler constantly heard his fathers refer to both Elliott and himself as "buddy", and it was his version. It was adorable though, and Elliott absolutely loved having his own private nickname from his brother, so it had stuck.

Kurt and Blaine had simply been relieved when Addy and Elly had responded so well to their new situation, thinking how lucky they were to have such amazing kids. Their parents knew better though. Paul, Carole and Burt watched the two fathers with pride, knowing that the reason the two middle children were responding so well to their new siblings, was because of how they were raised. Really, with two such exceptional parents, how could they have turned out any differently?

They were moving in the right direction as far as the adoption process went for their three foster kids. Both Doctor and Nurse still had happy smiles on their faces when they thought of the day, three weeks back, when they had discussed it with the three Meyers children.

* * *

_**Beginning Of November **_

_"I guess," Kurt said gently, "what we want to know is how you feel about becoming a part of our family permanently."_

_They were gathered on Kurt and Blaine's bed, all five of them, after Addy and Elly had gone off to school one day. The husbands had chosen a day when neither of them had to go into work, and Cara was at home with her father. Besides sharing with their parents, and obviously Finn and Nick, they hadn't mentioned the possible adoptions to a single soul. They wanted to officially ask the kids how they felt about it first. Obviously, it would be over Tia's head. Mostly over Liam's too, though he would probably catch the overall drift of what they were discussing. Brandi was the one they were really gauging for a reaction. She had every right to deny their adoption of her, and they would never dream of trying to proceed with something like this without her complete consent._

_Kurt was holding Liam on his lap and Blaine was attempting to hold on to a squirming Tia, while Brandi sat in-between them. She was snuggled in close so that their knees were touching and she was holding tightly to Kurt's free hand. Things like that, physical closeness, seemed to happen almost overnight with her once she overcame her initial shyness. She hadn't relaxed completely, at least not with the extended family, but she had come a long way. She had put on a tiny bit of much needed weight, gained back some of her color and vibrancy, and even spoke when spoken to... for the most part. She was still incredibly skittish though, and would jump and cower at the slightest hint of gruffness from anyone. Both Paul and Burt had learned to speak gently around their newest granddaughter, and she soon grew comfortable enough around them to not shy away completely. Around any other adult though, excluding only Carole, she would recoil and practically burrow into the side of whichever foster father was nearest. They had been a little surprised at first, but had responded comfortingly, holding her close and assuring her that everything was alright. She had immediately taken to seeking out physical closeness on a daily basis when she saw how gently and easily they responded to her. It was almost like second nature to these two men, being fathers. The squeeze of a hand, the pat of a cheek, the brushing back of a strand of hair... these were all things that Kurt and Blaine did regularly with their children. When Brandi saw how generously and happily they doled out this type of attention, she had latched onto them eagerly. It was the first way in which she had actively sought out any help or connection, and they were thrilled to be able to offer her any type of comfort outside of clothing and feeding her._

_When Brandi didn't answer Kurt__, only stared at them with wide eyes, the husbands glanced at each other and decided in an unspoken agreement to take a slightly different approach._

_"Well, sweetness," Blaine held Tia up in the air and tossed her lightly, eliciting a loud giggle. "I don't think I really need to ask how you feel. You pretty much told us last night."_

_They all grinned, even Brandi, when they remembered the previous evening. It had been Tia's first birthday and they had celebrated with the entire family and a huge chocolate cake. In accordance with family tradition, they had lit the one candle and both dads had crouched down in front of her, teasingly telling their baby girl to make her wish. She had stared at them with wide eyes, before reaching forward suddenly and grabbing a two handfuls of frosting and smearing it immediately in both of their faces. Kurt and Blaine had both gaped silently, nostrils filled with gobs of frosting, while the rest of the family had roared in laughter. Silence had quickly fallen over the entire group though, when she clearly spoke her first distinctive word since joining their family. Her small, "Dada", seemed to echo throughout the room, and Kurt and Blaine had continued to gape, but for a completely different reason now. They both felt happy tears stinging the corners of their eyes when Carole had walked up behind them, handing them some napkins and stating that Tia had made a very good wish indeed._

_The one-year-old poked Blaine in the face happily with a saliva covered finger and let out another contented, "Dada". They took that as a yes._

_"What do you think, bear?" Kurt looked down at the toddler sitting in his lap with a grin. Liam was quickly turning into quite the little cuddle-bug himself, and they had taken to calling him their "teddy-bear", as he constantly clung to them as if his life depended on it. That had quickly been shortened to just "bear", which Liam absolutely adored._

_"Do you want us to really be your daddies?"_

_Liam looked a little bewildered, not quite understanding what they were asking. He shrugged his shoulders, before leaning completely against Kurt's chest and reaching out a small hand and gripping Blaine's finger._

_"Daddies," he said adamantly. They also took that as a yes._

_They turned to Brandi then, gently expectant. They tried so hard not to push their newest foster child, but they really did need to know how she felt about this if they were going to try and proceed. She knew that her father was not contesting Finn's request for a termination of his parental rights, which, for the moment, would put her completely in the care of the state. They hadn't discussed it further though._

_"You-you want me?" Her voice was so small and insecure, it was heartbreaking._

_"Oh, honey. We want you so very much," Kurt responded, squeezing her hand in his._

_"Why? I-I'm already grown up. Don't you just want to adopt babies?" She looked down at her lap then, the sadness in her tone cutting them to the core._

_"Brandi," Blaine sighed. He set a wiggly Tia down on the floor and handed her a toy, before holding out both arms to his older foster daughter. The teen visibly relaxed as she scooted over into his embrace, resting against his chest as he ran a hand over her hair and another in soothing circles over her back._

_"Sweetheart, we just want you. We care about you. We want you in our lives. If we could have taken you when you were younger, then we would have, but that just wasn't meant to be. We'll most likely have the chance to take you now though, and there is no way we'd mess that up. And you are not grown-up, honey. You are thirteen. We have tons of time to still be daddies to you before you're all grown-up."_

_They all froze slightly when he said the word "daddies". True, Liam, and now Tia, were calling them such, but going down that road with Brandi was much more sensitive. It had felt so natural though. It had slipped out of Blaine's mouth before he even had the chance to consider it. Brandi pulled back from his arms to look at him cautiously, and then did the same with Kurt._

_"You really want to be my dads? You want to be 'for real' dads, for all three of us?"_

_"Yes," Blaine smiled. "We really do. All three of you."_

_"You'll always take care of Tia and Liam? You'll always make sure they're okay?"_

_Kurt choked back some emotion at the fact that she only mentioned her brother and sister. Alongside of the fact that she considered herself to be "grown" at the age of thirteen, this was a flagrant reminder of how she'd been forced out of her childhood at such a young age. The doctor kissed Liam on the cheek and set the little boy down to play next to Tia, before reaching out to pull Brandi into a hug of his own._

_"Of course we will always take care of them. We want to take care of all three of you."_

_She sighed happily as she melted into him, wrapping her still thin arms around him and squeezing back. Blaine put his arms around the both of them from behind, forming what they lovingly called in their family, a "kid sandwich". After a long moment of silence, she spoke in a muffled voice, as she was smothered up between her two foster dads._

_"What's my nickname gonna be?"_

_"What?" Kurt asked with a laugh._

_"Well," she sighed, "Elly is 'monster', Addy is 'princess', Liam is 'bear' and Tia is 'goober'." They all laughed quietly at the last one. It was true. They had taken to calling Tia "goober", because of her tendency to happily slobber over anything she put in her mouth, which was almost everything she came into contact with._

_"Even Cara is 'squishy', and she's not even your kid."_

_The last sentence was spoken with absolutely no jealousy. Indeed, Brandi adored Cara. They had watched happily as the two teens connected, and the younger carefully tried to mimic the elder when she thought she wasn't being watched. This observation was spoken only with adoration for her foster fathers, and not a small amount of longing._

_"Stick with us and we'll have time to come up with the perfect one," Kurt whispered._

_"Okay," she murmured, smiling against his chest. Secretly savoring the day when she felt completely comfortable referring to them both as "Daddy", out loud. She didn't dare to tell them that she was already doing it in her head._

* * *

The process was painfully slow though, or at least it felt that way. In hindsight, it was still less than two months since they had taken the kids in, but it had all happened so quickly. Suddenly they felt like they were dragging their feet, and it was hard to not be impatient.

Finn and Nick were both hard at work to make things happen, but there was only so much they could do to speed along the process. Laws needed to be followed, and court appearances and rulings were necessary.

They were having trouble finalizing everything with the father of the youngest two, and complications kept arising. Paternity was currently being confirmed out in Las Vegas, and until they had those results, they couldn't go any further. The man couldn't sign the kids away if they weren't really his, though he claimed that they were, without a shadow of a doubt. The thing that irked Kurt and Blaine the most as medical professionals, was that they knew very well that test results should not take this long. There wasn't a whole lot they could do from all the way in Ohio though, so they had to sit back and take things in stride. The moment they had confirmation though, Nick would be able to finalize the paperwork for terminating the man's parental rights, and starting the long adoption process. Right now it was a simple matter of paperwork, that was turning out to not be that simple.

Things with Brandi's possible adoption were actually going more smoothly than Tia and Liam's, though the way it was being handled was hard for them to swallow. Brandi's father had, unfortunately, been right on the money when he had so smugly suggested that he would barely get a slap on the wrist for what had happened with his daughter. After her initial confession to Finn, Diane had recanted and refused to say another word. James was always around when Finn tried to talk to her, and the few times the social worker knew that Brandi's father would be at work, there would be no answer to the phone or the door. Brandi was equally reticent about opening up when it came her history with her father. She was healing and developing beautifully under her foster parent's care, but would shut down and almost shrink into herself if any of them even tried to to talk to her about it. Kurt and Blaine were adamant that she not be pushed on this issue, and as long as they got to keep her and she never had to go with her father again, they didn't see the point in pushing her when she clearly wasn't ready.

That first night, when Finn had left the Meyers' house in an angry rage, he had called the police and reported James. Thankfully, the way Brandi's custody was set up, Diane really had no legal right or responsibility over her step-daughter, so she wasn't immediately connected to her husband in this case. While Finn was incredibly worried about the woman's safety and even stability, he was more concerned with keeping her out of this particular battle. James seemed to feel the same way, as he didn't contest being the only one being charged. Finn had a pretty good feeling that their reasons were different though.

James was immediately taken in for questioning, but Finn had bitterly watched when he left the police station with a satisfied smirk on his face not long later, accompanied by a lawyer. As promised, when Finn put in a request for a termination of parental rights, he had received no argument. The Meyers' attorney had responded with the appropriate paperwork almost immediately, before a court date had even been set. A sentencing had occurred not long after though. Finn was grateful at first for how expedited things were. Normally getting a court date could take a while. He had lucked out, getting things finalized so quickly with Tia and Liam, and hadn't expected the same with Brandi. They were officially set up with a court date by the second week in November.

He no longer felt lucky though when he got to the court house that day. He took one look at the docket and his heart sank when he saw what judge they had. He was an older judge, close to retirement and well known for his lackadaisicalness when it came to meeting out judgments. Lawyers who were quick on their feet could always find a way to lean the judge in their favor. All they had to do was promise a simple case, no complications... as long as the things went their way. This was never actually said, of course. Everyone who had anything to do with the law in that particular court house knew it though, and from the look of satisfaction on James Meyers' face, it was evident that he knew exactly what he was doing.

Finn had made sure to include his brother and brother-in-law this time, knowing how they fully intended to keep Brandi as long as things went their way in court. The two husbands gripped hands tightly, listening to the judge speak out the sentence. Finn didn't have the heart to tell them how concerned he was, once he saw which judge they had drawn. There was nothing they could do at this point, except for wait and see. The three Hummel/Hudson men had let out a collective sigh of relief when the judge declared that he was legally taking away the parental rights of one, James Meyers, and placing the child in question in the care of the state. He asked Finn then whether suitable care had been provided for the child, but beyond hearing a "yes", the judge waved Finn's answer away with a careless hand, not caring that the social worker was indicating that the foster parents in question were sitting right next to him. That's when Kurt's eyes narrowed, and he saw a bit more clearly what was going on. Blaine seemed a little too preoccupied and relieved that Brandi could really be theirs to think about the further responses of the judge, until he had called out the final sentencing on Brandi's father.

The judge ordered the defendant to attend some therapy and parental counseling sessions. That was it.

Finn swallowed hard, knowing that this was the most they could expect, considering there was no proof that he had done anything other than maybe be irresponsible and make poor decisions. To everyone else in this courtroom, he looked like someone who had made a few mistakes as a father, and caused his teenager to grow angry with him. She had subsequently run away, and he had, unwisely, decided to let things run their course without involving any of the authorities. Now, he was willingly giving up his child, in the hopes that someone else could raise her better. It was understandable that he only received a minimal punishment. Hadn't he suffered enough?

That was what everyone else in the court room was thinking at least. Kurt's gaze, however, was practically burning a hole through the judge and Blaine was seething.

Once court was dismissed, and they were all out in the hallway, things had quickly grown heated.

* * *

_"What the hell was that, Finn?! His daughter could have died and he gets some court ordered therapy! That's all?!"_

_Finn sighed heavily and placed a comforting hand on Blaine's shoulder, wanting to offer comfort but not really having anything better to say than, 'That's just the way it goes sometimes.'_

_He didn't even get a chance to respond though, as James chose that moment to walk past._

_"Well, I think this all turned out for the best, Mr. Hudson," he smiled. "Everyone got what they wanted."_

_Finn smiled back evenly._

_"I wouldn't say that," the taller man responded in a tight voice. "At least we got what was most important though. The assurance of Brandi's well-being."_

_"Yeah, whatever," he snickered, moving to walk away. When Blaine opened his mouth angrily and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Kurt's arm around his waist, James turned back around._

_"Who are you?" He asked, barely disguising his disgust._

_"We're Brandi's foster parents," Kurt replied in a cold voice. Blaine was practically sputtering, he was so angry._

_"You have GOT to be fucking kidding me!" James laughed. "I'm supposedly an unfit parent according to this idiot," he gestured at Finn, "but two fags are just fine? How do I know she's not being molested in some creepy way if she's living in such a fucked-up home?"_

_It took both Finn and Kurt to hold Blaine back that time as he lunged forward, fully prepared to kick this guy's ass and not giving a damn about the consequences. Truth be told though, Kurt wasn't trying that hard to stop him._

_"Chill right now, unless you want to risk losing Brandi," Finn hissed in the nurse's ear. That did the trick of bringing both husbands back to their senses. Kurt tightened his grip on Blaine's waist, but it wasn't necessary. Blaine immediately stepped away, turning his back on Brandi's father._

_James' mocking laughter filled the hallway as the Hummel's clasped hands and turned heel to walk away, both literally shaking with rage. Finn followed closely, wondering with a heavy heart why there was so much injustice in the world._

* * *

They had gone home that evening, and held each of their kids close for a long while, wanting desperately to soak up and enjoy each precious moment afforded them as fathers. They happily declared it to be pizza and movie night, much to the delight of their children. Everyone had put on pajamas and piled onto the mound of pillows and blankets that had been dragged to the living room floor. Kurt put in the movie while Blaine handed out slices of pizza to all the kids. Cara was home with her dad that particular evening, so it was just the seven of them. By the time "Ratatouille" was over, all of the kids and Kurt were sound asleep.

Three-quarters of the way through the movie, all five children had decided it would fun to tackle Daddy Kurt with hugs. While the doctor was just as ready and willing to hug, snuggle and hold a hand as Daddy Blaine, he was definitely the more reserved of the two, and their kids knew it. Hug tackling Daddy Kurt was fun because they always got him to turn completely silly and break character. Adelaide was the best at this, and usually initiated these types of things. In an enormous amount of giggles, they had all jumped on him at once. Even Brandi had joined in, albeit gently, holding a squealing Tia in her arms.

Minutes later, they had ended up snuggled in a heap. Kurt nestled up against the couch, Tia resting in the crook of his neck and in his arms, Brandi snuggled up to his right side and Elliott snuggled up to his left with an arm flung around Tia. Addy was sitting on the couch behind him, with her little legs propped on either side of him and her arms around his neck as she rested her curly head on top of his. Liam was sitting on Kurt's lap in front of Tia, and was leaning back against his chest, in the small amount of space that was left.

Blaine had watched them adoringly, completely ignoring the last bit of the movie, and observed as each one drifted off. As the end credits rolled, he had gotten to his feet quietly to snag his camera, managing to take several adorable shots before Kurt blinked his eyes open groggily. He laughed when he looked around to see all five children sound asleep on top of him.

In those moments, when they were tucking in the kids that night, taking turns carrying each sleeping child to their beds, they forgot about James. They put aside any anger they felt at the inequity of the world, and simply enjoyed being fathers. They forgot, at least for a little while, any sadness they felt over what their three newest children had had to endure before coming home to them, and let themselves revel in the happiness that was their little family.

Overall, they easily fell into an easy routine. Work, school and play, in turn. Kurt and Blaine both cut back on their hours at the hospital, quickly realizing that, for at least this period of their lives, their careers needed to take a definite backseat. This was what they had wanted, a huge family. Thankfully, because of Blaine's sizeable windfall, they were comfortable enough financially to be able to handle it.

School for Brandi was one of the next big hurdles to jump. They hadn't rushed schooling, having a legitimate reason to keep her home as she healed at first. Soon she was ready though, at least physically. Her emotional state was what they worried about the most. They fretted and talked late at night about their options during the first week after she moved in with them. They quickly came to the conclusion that public school would not be the best idea for her, at least to start off. They had no desire to shelter her, and wanted nothing more than for her to learn to be independent and strong. That wasn't something you could force though.

They had checked her school records, and not surprisingly found that her attendance had been incredibly sporadic over her childhood, and practically non-existent in the last year. How this had escaped the attention of yet another set of people in authority in her life, they had no idea. One thing was for sure though, she now had two father figures who loved her dearly and would do anything within their power to make sure that she succeeded. Nothing would escape their attention from here on out.

They had decided, to start her with a tutor at home. She could be homeschooled for the time being, until they figured out exactly where she stood academically and what she needed to catch up on to be ready to attend school with other kids her age. I also gave her time to develop a bit more emotionally and socially. They were already looking into groups and lessons she could join in, should she be so inclined, to help with that development. She had started with her tutor a few days back, and things were going incredibly well. She was quite intelligent, something that didn't surprise them at all. She was also so eager to please her new fathers, that she would work feverishly to finish her work every day so that she could show them her accomplishments.

They always made sure to shower her with praise, showing her how incredibly proud they were. They also made very sure that she knew that their love and acceptance of her wasn't contingent upon her meeting any expectations they had.

She was almost overwhelmed by their unconditional love, but in the best way possible. Slowly but surely, under their loving care, she was morphing into the Brandi she was always meant to be.

The thing that really had the whole family tingling with anticipation though, was the coming of the newest Hummel baby. Everyone in their little house was buzzing with excitement, and it was the topic of conversation when they were gathered around the table at most every meal. Everybody guessing the exact day the baby would be born, what color hair the baby would have, and, of course, whether it would be a girl or a boy.

Kurt's exuberance over purchasing all of the baby items they needed, was especially palpable. For him especially, this was going to be a one-and-only, first time experience. Blaine had had the opportunity to prepare for Addy while his surrogate was pregnant, and although it was somewhat weighed down by his strained marriage with Alex, it wasn't brand new to him.

Yes, Kurt had taken Elliott as a foster child when he was just a newborn, but the whole thing had happened quite suddenly. One day Kurt was single and alone, barely signed on as a foster parent for a single day, and a baby had been thrust into his care. He had been incredibly overwhelmed, and there was literally no time for him to prepare. Carole and his dad and gone out and purchased everything he needed, setting up a nursery for him by the time he got home from the hospital. Sure, he had gone out later to add a few things that were more his taste, but by that point he was the exhausted, single father of an infant, and just wanted to buy the damn stroller and get home before Elly woke up for his next feeding. Whether the specific shade of blue for the canopy was "Sea Frolic" or "Autumn Sky" seemed less than relevant in that moment.

Blaine was more than happy to let Kurt take the lead on preparing and purchasing things for the new baby. Though Kurt never failed to ask Blaine for his opinion, the nurse would just kiss his husband on the cheek and say that he trusted his judgment. In all honesty, he got just as much enjoyment out of watching Kurt plan and shop as Kurt did from the actual act.

The one thing that they were both anxiously anticipating, yet still holding out on, was the decorating of the nursery. Right around Tia's first birthday, they had decided it was time to move their little girl down the hall to make room for the new baby right next to them. Tia was sleeping completely through the night by this time, and they took the opportunity to go all out, decorating their last spare room in My Little Pony, which Tia was fascinated with. Their hard work had been well worth it, when the one-year-old had squealed with delight, bouncing in Kurt's arms as they carried her in on her birthday.

Now the nursery was open and ready for them to decorate, but they were hesitating because of the fact that they didn't know the sex of the baby. Neither of them really cared for gender neutral decorating themes, and they both had happy visions of bringing their one-and-only infant as a married couple home together, to a room that they had lovingly prepared themselves.

Cara had never actually told them that she was against them finding out the sex of the baby, but she had specifically told them why she herself had not found out, prior to choosing them as the adoptive parents. They understood her fears and emotions perfectly, and felt like complete asses, asking her to push her feelings aside just so that they could pick out the right duvet cover. She was already giving them her baby for christ's sake. They felt as if they couldn't possibly ask her to sacrifice something more.

It was such a hard idea to let go of though, so they whispered and even bickered a bit about it every day, until Cara herself solved the problem.

* * *

_**Tuesday Morning Before Thanksgiving**_

_"What's it gonna hurt to just, feel her out about it?" Blaine whispered, going through Addy's backpack to look at her homework._

_"What if we ask her, and she does it out of obligation, and then cries herself to sleep every night for the rest of her pregnancy because she can now picture the baby she's giving up?" Kurt hissed, busily making sandwiches for the kid's lunches._

_Cara paused just outside the kitchen door. She really hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but when she realized that they were talking about her, she couldn't help herself. She wrinkled her forehead, trying to figure out what exactly they were referencing. She heard Blaine sigh heavily, then some movement, and finally the rustling of some clothing. She knew without even looking that they had moved together and were holding each other. This was such an every day occurrence, that she could picture it, and it made her smile._

_"I know. You're right. I just, really wanted to know this time. With Addy it was a surprise, and all I've been thinking about is how nice it would be to have a name, ready and picked out, and for you to have planned out the decor for the whole nursery, and I would paint the walls..."_

_She heard Kurt laugh a little, but it sounded sad._

_"I know, babe. I know. Trust me. No one is more devastated about not being able to properly decorate than me."_

_Her heart twinged with guilt, now realizing what they were talking about. It honestly had not occurred to her how anxious the men might be to find out the sex of the baby. They had never once mentioned it, but she hadn't realized that it was only out of respect for her feelings._

_She took a moment to really consider what the next obvious step would mean for her. True, the thought of finding out whether the baby was a boy or a girl had initially seemed unsettling, but that was before she had chosen the Hummels to take the baby. She had been afraid that finding out the sex would cause her to form an attachment which would be impossible to break._

_This was different though. She wouldn't be the one finding out the sex of 'her' baby. Kurt and Blaine would be finding out the sex of 'their' baby. It wasn't the same at all, and she found that not only was she okay with it, she was excited about it, for their sakes._

_She grinned to herself as she thought of how she could tell them. Just last night at dinner, Blaine had told them about how he had helped an ultra-sound technician at the hospital with a difficult patient. She had been so grateful that she had told him to let her know if he or a family member ever needed to get squeezed in for an emergency ultra-sound. She would make it happen. They had all laughed, thinking how unlikely it was for him to take her up on it, Blaine saying he'd rather she had just thanked him by buying him a cup of coffee._

_It honestly couldn't have been any more perfect._

_She bounced through the kitchen door then with a smile._

_"So, squishy. You still have your free ultra-sound voucher? Cuz I'm thinking we should go to the hospital and cash it in."_

* * *

_**Later That Same Afternoon**_

_"There is..."_

_"The spine, I see," Kurt whispered in a rough voice._

_The ultra-sound technician sat back and smiled, remembering who her patients were._

_Doctor and nurse were clutching hands, leaning in toward the monitor eagerly. Blaine had a hand reached back to hold one of Cara's, and Kurt was lightly tracing a finger over what looked like a miniscule strand of pearls on the screen, a look of pure awe on his face._

_They watched in wonder as a tiny hand made it's way toward an equally tiny face. Five individual fingers spread wide and lips opened as the thumb found a home in the baby's mouth._

_"Looks like we've got a thumb sucker," the technician laughed softly._

_Kurt nodded, tears running freely down his face by now. He didn't even bother to try and wipe them away. He didn't want to stop holding Blaine's hand or touching the screen. Blaine blinked back some tears of his own and leaned over to place a soft kiss on his husband's cheek._

_"Blaine, that's..." Kurt choked out suddenly._

_"Oh my gosh," Blaine gasped._

_The watched with wide eyes as a small, pulsating shape came into focus. Their breath caught in their chests as it rose and fell in a gentle pattern. The technician silently reached out to turn the volume up on the computer, and a steady swishing sound suddenly filled the air._

_"I have five kids already and I've never once heard their heartbeats this way," Kurt whispered. Blaine looked at him with misty eyes, not sure if he was more moved by how enamored Kurt was of hearing the heartbeat, or because he had just automatically referred to the foster kids as "his own", without giving it a second thought._

_"Heart rate is 125. Excellent," the technician said softly. Kurt's head turned quickly then._

_"That's on the low side of normal though."_

_"But perfectly in line with the fact that we are nearing the end of this pregnancy," she smiled reassuringly, then glanced at Cara._

_"You're measuring at thirty-seven weeks and two days. Does that sound right?"_

_Cara nodded with a small smile. Both men looked at her fully then, and realized that she was resolutely looking away from the screen, either focusing on their faces or the wall._

_"Are you okay, honey?" Kurt asked gently._

_"We can stop right now if you want," Blaine added quickly. "I know you've normally finished with these as quickly as possible, and we're taking our sweet time here."_

_Her heart absolutely melted at their thoughtfulness._

_"No, really. I'm just fine," she responded with another small smile. "It's just... easier if I don't get too involved or excited, so I need to detach myself a bit. I want this though. I want this for you guys. You deserve to see your baby like this. Go ahead. You 'Oooo' and 'Aahhh' as long as you like."_

_They nodded gratefully, both squeezing her hand tightly. They glanced at each other though and made a silent agreement to finish this up. Cara was being so strong and mature about this, but they would have to have been blind to not see the sudden brightness in her eyes._

_"Okay," the technician spoke up, seeing clearly what was going on and not wanting to prolong things for the girl. "Are we ready to do this?"_

_"Yes," Kurt answered quickly, his voice cracking slightly in anticipation. Blaine snickered and tightened his grip on his husband's hand, whispering "I love you" in his ear._

_"Oh wow, this one is definitely ready to give a little show," she chuckled. "Those legs are all spread eagle for us."_

_They laughed out loud, but it only lasted for a second as both doctor and nurse easily saw what they were meant to see._

_"Oh my god, Blaine!"_

_"Well, that's pretty unmistakable," Blaine grinned._

_"Congrats, guys," the technician smiled. "You're having a boy!"_

_"A boy! Blaine, we're really gonna have our Brady Bunch now!"_

_Blaine burst out laughing as they wrapped their arms around each other and met their lips in a tender kiss. _

_Cara watched them with genuine happiness for a moment, but the pull of the large 3D screen soon became too much. Her eyes were finally drawn to the image above Kurt's shoulder, and a ragged breath left her body as she finally looked fully on what she had been avoiding for the last eight months._

_There it was, her baby. She watched as the fetus rolled and squirmed around, incredulous of the fact that she could feel it move within her at the same time. Her heart swelled with a thousand different emotions, and she couldn't help the tears that flowed from her eyes. Just for a moment, just this once, she imagined what it would be like._

_What it would be like, for her to keep this baby._

_She closed her eyes and swallowed back the heavy lump that had formed in her throat. The moment the thought passed through her head, the moment the images of what it would feel like to truly be a mother, to bring this baby home with her and care for it... she felt wrong... off. This wasn't right. The thought of going down that road wasn't right._

_This wasn't her baby. This was Kurt and Blaine's baby. These two men, these caring individuals and exceptional fathers. This couple who wanted so desperately to have a baby that was their own. One that was born and brought home from the hospital by the two of them as a married couple. Something they hadn't had the chance to do yet with any of their five kids._

_An overwhelming peace settled through her as she finally looked at the baby moving and dancing on the screen. After all this time, she could finally let herself look, and not feel the deep stab of pain and loss. The ache was there, and it would probably be there for some time, but it was accompanied by the knowledge that this was right. This was what was supposed to happen._

_She may have never been meant to be this baby's mother, but she was meant for something just as extraordinary. She was meant to give the greatest gift in the world to two of the most incredible men she had ever known. She had never felt so honored in her life, nor so blessed to have found them._

_She glanced over to the couple who hadn't yet removed themselves from their embrace, but were sitting with arms wrapped around each other and heads leaning together, watching the screen and laughing quietly at how active their baby boy was. Blaine was making some comment about signing him up for soccer and Kurt rolled his eyes good-naturedly._

_Cara pressed a hand to where she felt the baby moving, and looked back to the screen._

_"Nugget, you're gonna have the best daddies and the best family in the whole world. I'm making sure of it."_

* * *

**Wednesday Evening: The Day Before Thanksgiving**

"Daddy," Elliott bounced excitedly his chair, looking decidedly like Addy in that moment, "Did you and Daddy Blaine decide on a name yet?"

Kurt reached out a hand to ruffle his son's hair.

"Not yet, monster. We've definitely got it narrowed down though."

"Are we 'llowed to give you votes of our own?" Addy piped up, carefully swirling her spaghetti onto her fork.

"Of course, princess," Blaine leaned over to help her with what was starting to look like a ridiculously huge bite.

"Me too?" Brandi asked softly, an eager smile on her lips.

"Every kid at this table gets a vote, punkin," Kurt pulled her chair closer to him and wrapped his arm around her. She blushed happily at the word punkin.

Both men habitually called all of the kids, and each other, pet names every day. Baby, honey, sweetie... whatever popped into their heads. Each child in the family had their own specific nickname though, that had come up naturally over time. While they were searching for a permanent one for Brandi, both dads took turns coming up with ideas, which never failed to make their thirteen-year-old flush pink and duck her head, but grin like crazy at how much attention was being showered over her.

Pookey had been tried out a few times and discarded, along with countless others. Nothing really seemed to fit yet, and a family nickname just wasn't something you forced. In the meantime, it was becoming something of a fun game for them.

One day Blaine had causally called her punkin when helping her with her homework. She had looked at him in surprise, but a bright smile had spread across her face.

* * *

_"What did you just call me?"_

_"Oh!" Blaine said in surprise, glancing over into the kitchen where Kurt was cooking dinner. "Um, punkin. I dunno. I wasn't really thinking. It was just kind of a filler nickname."_

_"Okay," she said softly, looking back down at her work. "It was still a good one though."_

_Kurt looked over from where he was chopping some vegetables and met Blaine's eyes with a grin. They knew without saying a word that they were thinking the exact same thing._

_Punkin it is._

* * *

"Okay, let's go around the table," Blaine said, pouring some more milk into Liam's sippy cup. "Everyone gets a chance to share which name they would chose if it were up to them. Remember though, daddy and I make the final decision and I don't want any arguments." He looked pointedly at Addy for this comment, knowing full well that she was the only one who would probably push this point. She grinned sheepishly and nodded her agreement before glancing at Kurt who gave her a reassuring wink.

"Go ahead princess, you start," Kurt nodded in her direction.

She grew uncharacteristically quiet and thoughtful before nodding sharply with a grin.

"Malachi."

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other in surprise. They had fully expected to only be pacifying their kids with this game, and were shocked to hear a name that neither had already thought of, and actually liked.

"Okay," Blaine said in a thoughtful voice. "Malachi is officially on the list. Good job, sweetie!"

Addy wiggled happily in her chair, slurping a long piece of pasta into her mouth.

"Okay Tia, you're next!" The six-year-old smiled to her little sister.

Tia looked at them all with wide eyes from her high chair. She was finally filling out and looking like the slightly chubby-cheeked baby she was meant to be, and her bright green eyes shone above rosy, rounded cheeks. Blonde pigtails that were held in place by the ever present puffy bows, waved in the air as she giggled and bounced in her seat. She reached out a hand to Kurt and squealed.

"Dada!"

"Should we name the baby after daddy, goober?" Blaine said excitedly. Kurt rolled his eyes. For whatever reason Blaine had been stuck on the idea that they should name the baby after Kurt, and he couldn't figure out why. Kurt responded that he didn't feel comfortable naming a child after himself, that it seemed self-absorbed in a weird way. The doctor also pointed out that they had just as much reason to name the baby after Blaine, at which the nurse had balked, saying he'd always thought Blaine was a weird name and would never make a child go through life like that. Kurt had laughed and told him his name was perfect, but they had agreed at that point to choose a completely original name.

"I really don't think she was insinuating that we use my name, baby," Kurt gave him a pointed look. "I'm fairly certain she was just happy to see me." He leaned across the table to make a face at Tia. "Weren't you, goober? You were just happy to see daddy."

She giggled loudly and reached across the table for him once again. Kurt got up to walk around and pull her from her seat as Elliott spoke up.

"Nope, I agree with daddy Blaine. Tia's choice is Kurt."

The doctor rolled his eyes once again, but pressed a kiss to Elliott's head as he walked past and sat back in his seat.

"Fine. Tia's choice is Kurt. It's on the list."

Blaine and Elliott cheered while Kurt muttered under his breath, "The very bottom of the list."

"Your turn, monster," Blaine winked at Elliott. They had both heard Kurt's muttering.

"Hmmm," Elliott tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I think I'm gonna like whatever you and daddy pick out. I like my name and I like Addy's name. You guys are gonna do a good job."

Kurt and Blaine's eyes met and immediately softened. That was such typical Elliott.

"Thank you, Elliott," Kurt said softly, smiling brightly at his oldest son. Elly just smiled with a shy little shrug and took a small bite from his piece of garlic bread.

"It's Liam's turn," he said, looking across the table to the two-year-old.

"What do you think, bear," Blaine pulled Liam out of his seat and onto his lap in order to wipe his face. "What name do you like?"

Liam climbed up and clung to Blaine's neck tightly, living up to his nickname, and rested his head against Blaine's curls.

"Thomas," he smiled.

"That's not a real vote. He just likes Thomas the tank engine is all," Elliott laughed. Blaine started to nod, but Addy spoke up.

"We let Tia's vote be for daddy," Addy insisted, "'n she didn't even say a real name."

"She makes a valid point," Kurt said, raising an eyebrow at Blaine. The nurse shook his head with a grin.

"True. Thomas is on the list then." He shot Kurt a sassy look, at which Kurt shook with silent laughter.

"Alright, punkin," Blaine turned to Brandi. "You're the last one. What's your vote?"

She looked at them all shyly, playing with her food before biting her lip and smiling.

"I've always liked the name Greyson."

Once again Kurt and Blaine glanced at each other in surprise.

"Excellent choice, Brandi," Kurt looked at her appraisingly. "Got that, babe? Greyson is on the list."

"Got it," Blaine nodded. "We've got Malachi, Kurt, Thomas and Greyson. There's also our top choices to consider. We've got a big decision to make, babe."

"Good thing we have a couple more weeks," Kurt agreed. "I'm not feeling particularly decisive about this."

"We'd better get moving on it though if we're going to stencil his name on the crib like we'd talked about," Blaine retorted, getting up and grabbing some dishes to put in the sink.

Kurt sighed, realizing he was right. For some reason this decision seemed like one of the hardest they had ever made concerning the kids, which was almost hysterical considering everything they'd done and been through. The doctor shook his head, realizing that in the long run all that mattered was that their little boy arrived, happy and healthy. A name was just a name. He glanced up then, and smiled as he watched his husband at the sink, rinsing dishes and looking adorable.

He quickly handed Tia off to Brandi, and left the table walked up behind Blaine, nuzzling down into his neck and placing a bunch of sloppy kisses. Blaine squirmed and tried to shrug him off with a laugh, but Kurt just held on tighter, rubbing his nose down into the crook of his husband's neck where he knew the nurse was most ticklish.

"Kurt! Stop," Blaine yelped, but he was laughing too hard to really make any effort to get away. The doctor pulled back with a grin and Blaine smacked at his arm playfully.

"I hate it when you do that," he gave a fake little scowl, which Kurt saw through immediately. "You make me giggle like a little girl."

"That," Kurt pecked him on the tip of his nose, "is precisely why I do it, darling. It is too freaking adorable. I can't help myself."

"It's adorable to you," Blaine rolled his eyes, "but it causes me to lose some serious man points."

"How many man points would you lose if I were to do, saaaay... This!" Kurt yanked Blaine into his arms, tickling his sides and burying his face into Blaine's neck, covering him with more kisses.

"Oh my god, Kurt! Stop!" Blaine gasped out breathlessly, laughing harder than ever. "Fine, you wanna play that way?" He grabbed Kurt's waist, starting to tickle him back.

"Oh lord! Take it down a few notches, will ya? I came here hoping to steal some dinner, but your teenage girlesque flirting is making me lose my appetite."

They turned quickly at the voice that was full of teasing, to see a mohawked man standing in the doorway of the front hall with a bag slung over his shoulder, wearing a wide grin.

Both men brightened, and Addy and Elly jumped from their places at the table and dashed into his arms.

"Uncle Puck!"


	13. Chapter 13

AN- Eeep! So, yeah, it's been a month. RL has been rather spectacularly tumultuous as of late. I'm back though, hoping you all still love me :)

I apologize for not responding to all the reviews this one time, I wanted to get this up for you though without any more delay. I tried to answer specific questions, and if you leave specific questions for this chapter in your reviews, or asks at my tumblr, I will be sure to answer them.

So, I FINALLY got my act together and made Master Posts on my tumblr of all my fics, including links for music and fanart! Woo Hoo! :)

I have no idea how to hide my tumblr address in my AN, cuz FF is so nuts about not letting you provide links, but my tumblr address (and Facebook if you like) are on my profile page here at FF.

Thank you all so very much for your amazing reviews and PMs! Your continued support of my stories just blows me away, and I feel so very blessed!

I wish you all an incredibly Happy Holiday, and I'll see you again in the new year!

Much Love,

PickingViolets

* * *

**Thursday Morning**

"Blaine! Stop!" Kurt laughed, trying to wiggle his way out of his husband's grasp. He had been busily working on all of the preparations for their Thanksgiving dinner, when Blaine had snuck up on him from behind. He pulled Kurt close, running a hand up and under his sweater while pressing kisses up and down his neck.

"Mmmm, nope," Blaine smiled into Kurt's shoulder. "Don't wanna."

"Well, you're gonna have to," Kurt said briskly. "We have a million things to do before everyone gets here and it's only gonna get crazier with all the kids running around. I need you to... Oooohhhmygod, that's your hand down my pants," he closed his eyes, leaning his head back on his husband's shoulder. He gave in, too caught up in how amazing it felt to even remember what he was talking about. When Blaine let go momentarily to readjust his grip though, he came back to reality and reached around to smack the nurse in the shoulder.

"What are you doing? One of the kids is gonna walk in here!"

"Nope," Blaine responded airily as he grabbed Kurt by the shoulders and whipped him around. Kurt looked at him with wide eyes and a little smile on his face. "Puck loaded them all up and took them to the park. Said he needed some quality 'Uncle Puck' time with all of his kids. Plus, I talked to Carole and she's coming early to help us with dinner. We're alone in our house for the morning, baby. Let's take advantage of it."

Kurt sank back against the counter in resignation, and relaxed almost immediately. His eyes closed as Blaine pressed him back, leaning into him and pressing kiss after kiss from his lips, to his jaw and down his neck.

"Were our new kids okay with that?" Kurt asked breathlessly. "Brandi was comfortable?"

"She was fine." Blaine stopped with his kisses and stepped back, realizing that his husband probably needed a little reassurance. "I know, I was surprised by that too. She was so quiet last night and didn't say a word to him."

The previous evening, when Puck had surprised them with his presence, Brandi had made a point to stay so close to her foster fathers, she was practically on their laps at all times. They had just snuggled her reassuringly, rubbing her arm or squeezing her hand while they continued talking with Puck. She eventually relaxed a little, and by the end of the evening she was actually staring at the new man with wide, starry eyes. She had blushed brightly when she realized that Blaine had caught her in the act.

"I was watching her, both at the end of last night, and this morning while you were talking to Puck and cooking breakfast. I, uh, I think she might have the littlest bit of a crush."

Kurt's head jerked up and he slapped away the hand that was reaching toward his zipper.

"What? Are you... do you even... What?!"

"Yeah, she blushed anytime he spoke to her, and when he was looking for the milk, she ran and grabbed it for him with a goofy little smile on her face. She looked like she wanted to melt down into the floor when her called her 'darlin'."

"But," Kurt sputtered weakly, "she can't!"

"Kurt," Blaine sighed, instantly regretting bringing it up instead of getting his husband naked first. "Brandi is a teenager. Teenagers get crushes. Puck is this totally badass cop, and he was so sweet with her, even when she was all shy and refused to talk to him at first. It's perfectly understandable. At least it's Puck. Obviously nothing would ever develop from it and it's someone we trust completely. She's probably going to go off to school next semester and get a crush on a boy we don't even know. If you can't handle her having a harmless crush on your best friend, how are you gonna handle her having one that could actually go somewhere?"

Kurt instantly pouted and slumped against the counter.

"I know. We just got her though, Blaine! We can't lose her to the world of boys quite yet!"

"And we won't," Blaine laughed. "She has a tiny, fantasy crush. We're not losing her to anything or anyone."

Kurt sighed and let out a little grunt, not quite ready to concede.

Blaine smiled and reached back to the zipper, slowly pulling it down and reaching his hand in. Kurt's grin returned and he let out a light moan when Blaine grasped him and started stroking gently.

"Babe," Kurt tapped him on the arm. "Let's move this. I don't want to have to get a whole new outfit out and I'm not getting naked here in the kitchen around the food."

Blaine gave a little side smirk and slowly sank to his knees.

"I think I can come up with a way to work around both of those concerns."

"Oh my god, yes," Kurt breathed out. "Make it quick so I can do you too before they get back."

Blaine didn't answer. His mouth was already full.

* * *

Puck looked out on the playground as the kids ran around, screaming and laughing, with a soft smile that was reserved solely for his nieces and nephews. Granted, there were a few more than the last time he had visited, but he had no problems with that. They were actually a huge part of the reason he was here.

His heart had ached a little each time Kurt updated him over Skype, or texted him a picture of Tia and Liam snuggled up with one dad or the other. He already hated the fact that he lived far enough away that he only saw Elly and Addy every couple of months or so. Now his best friend had gone and added three brand new kids to the ranks and he hadn't even had the chance to teach them inappropriate words, or fill them up on ice cream and send them home all sugared up.

True, his visit had more than one purpose, but right now, till after the holidays, he was letting himself have a little vacation and enjoy time being an uncle again. The last couple years of his life had been sadly empty of that particular experience. It had taken him moving away to realize just how much it had meant to him. All that, 'you don't know what you've got till it's gone' crap.

His smile grew a little as he watched Elliott and Liam playing a little game of one-on-one tag, where Elly was obviously moving in slow motion so that Liam could easily catch him. He struggled for a moment with his emotions, feeling that same warm fuzzy feeling that Elliott had been causing ever since he was tiny. There had never been a more kind, quietly thoughtful, and generous kid as Elliott. He may act a bit like an old man in a child's body, but that just served to make him even more endearing. Puck knew that having Kurt as a dad from the beginning had more to do with that than anything else. What other parent would have been so lovingly patient during the whole drama when Elliott refused to talk? He was one lucky kid.

Now there was Liam, who was benefiting not only from having two amazing fathers, but the best older brother anyone could ask for. He was, definitely, one lucky kid. It was obvious how much he had improved since the Hummels had taken him in. Puck remembered very well the pictures Kurt had texted from the first couple of days after they had taken the kids in. The image of two kids, way too thin, solemn expressions, covered in purpling bruises... it had made his skin crawl. The only thing that had stopped him from hopping in his car and seeking these parents out on his own had been a text from Kurt, immediately after sending the pics.

_Okay. I know you. Unlock your jaw and stop grinding your teeth. I'm not sending these pictures to incend you. I'm sending them so you can see my two newest kids. They're safe. They have me now. Don't go off all half cocked and make plans to stake out their parents. Love you, man. ~Kurt_

He had held his rage inside, at least for the time being.

He looked up when he heard Tia's giggles, and his gaze moved on to where Brandi was settling her little sister into one of the swings equipped with a baby seat. Addy was standing by, jumping up and down excitedly and insisting on being the one to give Tia her pushes. He was about to speak up, knowing how carefree and exuberant Addy could be, but Brandi knelt down beside the six-year-old before he could say anything, and helped her to push for a moment, showing her the right speed.

He watched the three girls curiously, finding their interactions and personalities such an interesting mix. Tia and Addy were obviously two of a kind. Both were rather happy-go-lucky about life in general, and all smiles about ninety percent of the time. They were like little bundles of sunshine to everyone they met. It had, comparatively, taken Tia much less time to adjust to their new life than Liam. She had bounced back to the happy, chubby cheeked girl she was meant to be in no time flat, and she and Addy had become quite the pair.

Brandi on the other hand... well, she was a bit of a mystery to Puck. It was obvious how intimidated of him she had been when he first arrived. She had spent the first half of the previous evening as close to her foster fathers' sides as possible, without appearing clingy. She looked more as if she just wanted to disappear behind the closest thing that gave her comfort, and Kurt and Blaine were obviously providing that for her. Puck had felt more disheartened than he had in a while, watching this innocent teen so terrified of a stranger. What had happened to her that had caused this type of reaction? He felt deep down that it might be better if he didn't find out.

Later on in the evening though, things had changed a bit. He remembered telling an amusing story about an undercover bust gone wrong, and had glanced over to Blaine. He hadn't been surprised to see Brandi, cuddled up against the curly-haired man, tightly gripping his hand. He had been surprised at the fact that Brandi was actually meeting his gaze though, even if just for a moment. He had felt a warm little tug, wanting all of his nieces and nephews to love him, and had sent her a small wink. Her cheeks had flushed and she had immediately looked down, refusing to meet his gaze again. He thought he had scared her off, and had honestly felt a little crappy, until it had come to bedtime for the younger kids.

The children had obeyed quickly when Blaine announced that it was time for bed, and Addy and Elly had jumped immediately to Puck's side for a hug goodnight. Liam had followed after, somewhat shyly, and insisting on holding Kurt's hand the whole time he hugged the mohawked man. Tia had simply uttered a slobbery little coo, and been on her way in Blaine's arms.

When all the other kids had started down the hall, accompanied by their fathers, Brandi had hung back. He had watched her hesitantly for a moment, wondering if he should speak, when she half-met his gaze with bright red cheeks.

She had muttered the word 'night' so quickly he wasn't even positive she had said it, then made a mad dash down the hall to her room before he could even respond.

Then this morning she had been acting even more oddly, seeming to warm up to him one moment, and then ducking shyly behind one dad or the other in order to keep herself from his view.

He had honestly been surprised when she had agreed to come along to the park so readily, thinking that she would be way too nervous, being without the comforting presence of Kurt or Blaine. He seriously had no idea how to read this kid. It had been way too long since he'd dealt with a thirteen-year-old.

He knew enough of her story to know that she had good reason to be skittish, and plenty of reason to not trust men. He couldn't help but feel that being with Kurt and Blaine was probably when of the best possible things for her. What better way to learn to trust adults again, men in particular. She was being given a taste of some pretty spectacular parenting, and being given a chance to heal and grow.

His eyes widened when she started taking slow and tentative steps in his direction, now that Addy had gotten a hang of how to push Tia without getting whacked in the face by the swingback.

Brandi edged her way toward him, in a way that would above been almost comical had he not known her background. She looked reminiscent of a scared wild animal, who was hopeful of trusting someone, yet whose instincts told them to duck and cover. She sent him occasional glances, always pulling away her gaze the moment they made eye contact. Bit by bit, she made her way forward, with awkward little shuffles and skips, until she was only a foot or two away from the bench he was sitting on. She was looking away pointedly, carefully determined to make it seem as though she didn't even notice him there.

He worked extraordinarily hard at keeping in his grin, and made a huge production of scooting all the way to the end of the bench. He then leaned forward, trying to catch her eye. She gave him a cautious sideways glance, looking like she was battling some major nerves. He smiled softly, patting the seat next to him. Playing nervously with the edge of her coat, she sat down on edge of the bench, as far away from him as she could possibly be without falling off.

He shot her a reassuring smile, followed by a wink, and was surprised when she immediately ducked her head with a bright blush and a glowing smile.

His eyes widened.

_Oh, crap. So that's what's going on. Kurt is gonna freaking kill me!_

"So," he cleared his throat, "what's it like living with fairy doc and nurse fancy pants?"

Her smile immediately dropped as she gave him a look of dismay, and he promptly gave himself a mental kick in the pants.

"Sweetie, you need to know that Kurt is one of the best friends I've ever had. I love that guy like a brother. And Kurt loves Blaine, so I do too. Just, ignore those kinds of things that come out of my mouth. I can be the world's biggest unintentionally douche sometimes. It's all said in love, okay? I'm just a huge tease."

He watched her anxiously, more than prepared for her to retreat into herself at his thoughtless joke, and was happily surprised when she smiled gently and nodded.

"It's wonderful," she spoke hesitantly, yet with obvious adoration for her foster parents. "Sometimes I wake up in the morning and pinch myself to see if it's real."

Puck swallowed back the heaviness that suddenly seemed to settle in his throat.

"I'm glad. They certainly love you, that's for sure. They're pretty awesome foster parents, huh?"

Brandi nodded shyly and kept her focus on her boots, an adorable suede pair that Kurt had purchased for her on their last shopping trip.

"They said..." her voice faded away for a moment, and she chewed on the inside of her lip before speaking up again. "They said they want to be my dads for real. They're gonna adopt me, along with my brother and sister, as long as a judge says it's okay."

"Well that's pretty exciting news!" Puck glanced out to make sure the other four children were still doing well, then leaned his elbows down onto his knees and gave Brandi a bright smile.

She simply nodded her head, giving him the most full-on smile she had, yet to date.

He nodded back agreeably and was just searching his arsenal for another safe topic, when he heard Addy yelp from across the playground. He looked up to see her holding Tia still in the swing and hopping anxiously on one foot.

"Uncle Puck! Come quick! Tia pooped! It's leaking everywhere! Aaahhh! It's so gross!"

His face paled, and he froze in place on the bench for a moment, not quite sure what to do. A couple of fathers near by shot him sympathetic looks, but sympathy didn't really help in this moment.

Dammit! This was the reason he hadn't taken Elly out alone until he'd been potty trained, and he hadn't had to worry about that with Addy. He'd forgotten. Well, he was certainly learning his lesson now.

With a groan of frustration, he whipped off his coat. He made a mad dash to where Addy was trying to hold Tia in place in the swing, yet still stand as far away as possible.

With his eyes closed and breath held, he scooped the baby out of the swing, quickly wrapping her bottom half in his coat.

He called the other kids to him, and awkwardly started running toward the car, holding Tia as far in front of him as possible. He couldn't help thinking that Kurt had better be prepared to buy him a new, damn coat.

* * *

"Kurt... yes... yes... yes... godyes..."

Kurt grinned inwardly, relaxing his throat and sinking all the way in so that his lips and the tip of his nose were flush with Blaine's skin. He nudged his husband's skin with his nose, breathing him in deeply while stroking his thighs in light circles.

Blaine choked out a little cry and stuttered forward... just as the front door slammed.

* * *

"Dudes! You wouldn't believe what happened! Your little princess here is a regular poop machi-..."

Puck trailed off, balancing Tia on his hip and looking at the scene before him as he walked into the kitchen.

Blaine was obviously in the middle of a record-breakingly fast spin in the opposite direction of the front hall, and looked like he was doubled over.

Kurt's head popped up from behind the island in the middle of the kitchen, and he was wiping a hand over flushed and swollen lips.

Blaine spun back around, a too bright smile on his face, and leaned dazedly against the counter.

Kurt hurriedly picked up a knife and tried to dice some carrots that had already been thoroughly chopped, all the while looking pointedly away from Puck.

"Hey," Blaine drawled out, almost lazily, his eyes a bit heavy-lidded.

"You're back a little quicker than we thought." Kurt spoke with a shaky little laugh, trying to sound casual, and failing.

His voice was abnormally deep and rough.

Puck slowly started to grin, and was about to speak, when Addy rushed in beside him, followed by the other kids.

"Daddies!" She squealed. "Tia had the biggest, yuckiest poop ever and it almost got on me, and Uncle Puck had to wrap her up in his coat, and then he got all nervous when he tried to change her at the car, and poop was running down her legs, and then Brandi had to help cuz Uncle Puck didn't know what he was doing... Daddy?"

Blaine leaned toward her expectantly as she questioned him, still dizzyingly trying to follow her rambling story.

"Your zipper on your pants isn't all the way up, daddy. You musta forgot when you went potty."

Puck snorted a laugh and both Kurt and Blaine blushed as the nurse quickly reached down to rectify the situation.

"Daddy?"

Kurt's head snapped up when Elliott stepped forward and spoke softly, a wary expression on his face.

"Your face looks funny."

"What?" Kurt reached a hand up to his face, wiping around his mouth self-conciously.

"Yeah, you look like..." Elliott trailed off, a little uncertain.

"Like your lips got stuck in a vacuum cleaner," Addy piped up with an innocent smile. "Oh, and your pants need to be fixed too!" She said in a loud stage whisper, pointing at Kurt's zipper.

The doctor flushed deep red then, looking like he wanted to sink through the floor, and finished zipping himself up with an awkward sounding cough.

"Now your faces are all pink, daddies!" Addy yelped in surprise.

"Are you sick?" Elliott asked in concern, running up and making a show of wanting to feel both his dad's foreheads.

"Guys, we're fine," Blaine spoke up quickly, sending both their first graders a reassuring smile. "Everyone is gonna be here in just a bit, okay? Go clean up and then put on the outfits that daddy laid out on your beds."

With an accepting shrug, Addy bounced away, followed by a confused looking Elliott. Brandi had missed part of the conversation, since she had come into the room last with Liam. She looked at them curiously, not quite sure what was going on, but way too shy to question.

"Punkin, you can go ahead and get ready if you like," Kurt said to her as he moved to take Liam from her arms, taking the time to give her a quick side hug.

"Were you okay? You didn't feel nervous being out without us?" He whispered, looking at her intently.

She quickly shook her head and smiled.

"No, It was good. It was nice."

Kurt fought the urge to turn around and shoot Puck a warning glare, and instead pulled her in for another quick hug, whispering that he was glad, before shooing her down the hall. He turned around to find Blaine taking Tia from Puck's arms and his best friend shooting him a knowing smirk as he settled onto a bar stool next to the counter.

He braced himself, knowing Puck way too well to think that he'd just let this go, and wanted to officially disappear when he finally spoke.

"So, I see that you two decided to get a head start on the appetizers."

* * *

**Thursday Afternoon**

"Do you need help, da-... um, Kurt?"

Kurt looked up quickly, to see Brandi standing in front of him uncertainly. She looked shocked at her near faux pas, and uncertain as to how he would respond. He set down the stack of dessert plates he had been retrieving form the cupboard, and moved quickly around the counter, pulling her into a hug. Without another word on the subject, he turned back to preparing the desserts, and shot her a happy smile while sliding the pumpkin pies in her direction.

"Definitely. Where are the rest of the kids at?"

"Grandma Carole is feeling the baby move, so Cara is kind of trapped."

Kurt chuckled at that, though he did wonder a bit at how Brandi called his parents Grandma and Grandpa so easily, while she was obviously still hesitant to call he or Blaine dad. He quickly dismissed his thoughts though, knowing that she would when she was ready.

"Elise, Hailey and Addy are playing dress-up in my room," she went on. "Teegan, Skylar and Liam are playing trucks in Elliott's room, and Elliott and Micah are outside running around."

At Kurt's quick glance at the window she spoke up again.

"Grandpa Paul made sure they put coats on, don't worry."

"You are incredibly insightful, you know that?" He grinned at her as he finished with the apple pie.

She grinned back, and they both looked up when Cara and Blaine entered the room.

"I'm fine, squishy!" The pregnant teen spoke with barely concealed irritation.

"I'm sure you are, 'squishy'," Blaine replied, holding back a smile. "I'm just saying that you've been having a ridiculous amount of Braxton Hicks contractions today. I want to make sure that you're resting if you need to. Don't overdue it."

"How often are you having them?" Kurt spoke up suddenly, concern in his eyes and tension around his mouth. Cara groaned and thunked her head down on the counter

"Loooord! Not you too! Come on, you know I love you guys to death, and of course I am going to take care of myself and the baby, but SERIOUSLY? You're driving me nuts!"

At Kurt and Blaine's looks of shock, Cara automatically grew embarrassed. She hadn't meant to snap at them, but they both hovered constantly like mother hens and she was sore, and achy, and tired, and her back hurt, and her feet hurt, and she had thrown up again the past two mornings, and she was having contractions every single day now, and she was just so, so, so very tired of being pregnant.

The husbands' eyes widened when she suddenly looked as if she was about to burst into tears, and plopped herself down onto a stool grumpily.

They both looked at each other silently, before stepping to either side of her and hugging her between them.

"Three more weeks, sweetheart," Kurt said softly. "Maybe even less. Your doctor said it was safe for you to go at any time now, right?"

She nodded with a loud sniffle.

"I know. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm just so tired."

They looked at each other helplessly, feeling at a loss, until Brandi stepped up with an uncharacteristically determined look on her face.

"Okay, that's enough. I'm going to take care of Cara, you guys leave now."

They looked at each other uncertainly, but when Blaine opened his mouth to argue she pointed a petite finger in his face.

"This is girl territory, and you are not girls. I love you guys too, but please leave."

They both automatically grinned, and placed a kiss on either of her cheeks, before glancing back warily at Cara and exiting the room.

The older teen was shooting Brandi a watery smile, and they knew as they walked out that she would be fine.

"She's so shy except for when she's being protective, huh?"

Blaine settled down into the last empty chair at the dining room table, and patted his lap. Kurt sat down lightly, wrapping an arm around his husband's shoulders.

"I know. She makes me think of Elliott."

They smiled at each other, thinking of how amazing it was that their kids could be similar while not even being biologically related. Blaine pulled Kurt in for a kiss, squeezing him close.

"Enjoy that while you can!"

They looked up to see Burt grinning at them from across the table.

"Soon you're adding another kid to the mix. You'll officially have no more time for that stuff."

"Dad," Kurt rolled his eyes. "I have five kids already. If I can manage to find time to kiss my husband with five, I think I can do it with six."

"I don't know how, dude," Finn spoke up with admiration in his voice. "I swear we didn't do it for five months after the twins were born."

"Finn!" Rachel smacked him with her napkin.

"Cheers!" Wes held up his wine glass to Finn, causing Marie to smack him with her own napkin.

"Yes, dear brother," Kurt spoke up. "Because your wife was healing from a traumatic birth. This is part of the beauty of being a gay man. No one's vagina has to heal."

"Kurt!" Blaine reached across the table to snatch Rachel's napkin away and smack his husband with it. "You can be slightly more discreet!"

The nurse glanced across the table at Cara's father to shoot him an apologetic look, but just received an amused grin in response.

"Cheers!" Jeff and Nick both called out, clinking their glasses and raising them toward Kurt and Blaine with wide grins.

"I wish I was a gay man some days," Marie muttered under her breath.

"Marie!" Wes pretended to be offended with a mock glare, tossing his napkin in her direction.

"Cheers to that!" Rachel piped up loudly, raising her glass high above her head toward Marie.

Finn grinned in spite of himself and pulled his wife in for a kiss.

"Now that this conversation has gotten just plain weird," Paul muttered, "how are you guys doing on deciding on a name for the new little munchkin. Got it narrowed down?"

"Oh yes," Carole spoke up with a laugh. "Liam told me all about how the baby is going to be a tank engine, and I had no idea what he was talking about until Elliott filled me in."

"Yeah," Puck chuckled. "I got an earful when we went to the park."

"What's this about?" Marie asked curiously.

"We let the kids each put in a vote for a name for the baby," Blaine answered.

"Oh, you guys!" Rachel sounded choked up. "What an amazing way to involve all the kids!"

Finn slipped an arm around her waist and turned to Kurt.

"What did they come up with?"

"Um, let's see," Kurt said thoughtfully, looking to Blaine for affirmation. "We have Malachi, Thomas, Greyson, and Kurt."

He rolled his eyes at the last name, and Blaine poked him in the side with a grin.

"How did you guys end up picking Addy and Elly's names?" Jeff asked curiously.

Burt surprised them all by bursting into laughter. Kurt just glared at him.

"It's not funny, dad!"

Burt rolled his eyes.

"It's a little funny Kurt. You named your kid after a character in a movie."

"Why's that so funny?" Nick asked, genuinely confused.

"Tell them which character," Burt said with barely concealed laughter.

"How do I not know about this?" Blaine pulled Kurt around in his lap to look at him accusatorily.

Kurt shrugged with a blush.

"E.T.!" Puck called out excitedly. "You named him after the kid in E.T.!"

Burt shook his head, grinning.

"Try again."

They all sat in silence for a moment, wracking their brains, until Kurt sighed heavily.

"Pete's Dragon," he muttered.

"The kid in Pete's dragon was named Elliott too?" Jeff asked, looking uncertain.

Suddenly Paul burst into laughter.

"No! The cartoon dragon was named Elliott!"

Silence, then everyone burst out laughing.

"Oh, sweetie!" Blaine laughed. "You named your son after a cartoon, magical dragon with purple hair? You are so cute!"

"I didn't name him after the dragon!" Kurt exclaimed defensively. "I just heard the name for the first time ever and I liked it."

He stuck his tongue out at his dad, causing even more laughter, and Blaine pressed a little smacking kiss on his cheek.

"Fine!" Kurt rolled his eyes. "Laugh it up, people. I named my kid after a cartoon dragon. How did you come up with Addy's name, Blaine?"

He turned in his husband's lap, hoping to turn the attention from himself. Blaine immediately went pale and darted his eyes to the side.

"Um, I just heard it somewhere and liked it. I can't remember anymore."

Kurt narrowed his eyes, noticing immediately how Blaine was avoiding eye contact.

"Oh my god! Don't you dare lie to me! It's something equally as shameful as mine! Isn't it?!"

Blaine's blush deepened and everyone else at the table called out with teasing laughter.

"Fine! Whatever!" Blaine threw up his hands. "I heard it in an Ann of Green Gables movie."

More silence, then even louder laughter.

"Oh, honey!" Kurt squeezed him close with a happy smile. "You're at least as equally cute and embarrassing as I am."

"Oh my god," Puck shook his head. "You guys could not be more gay."

"That would be the point," Kurt replied sassily, pulling Blaine's face up for a kiss.

"So," Carole interrupted with a bemused sigh, "you told us the names the kids picked out. What names have you two picked out?"

Blaine was just starting to respond when a panicked voice called from the kitchen.

"Daddies!"

Both Kurt and Blaine looked up, hearts racing. They didn't even have time to register their shock at the fact that Brandi had called them both daddy. They could only recognize the fact that she sounded petrified.

"Something's wrong with Cara! You need to come right now!"

They dove to their feet, hearts in their throats, racing to the kitchen before she could barely finish her sentence.

The only person to beat them there was Cara's dad.

All three men dove to their knees by her side, finding her crouched down on the floor, clutching her stomach.

Blaine's eyes widened as he skidded through a wet spot on the floor before crashing to his knees. He looked down frantically, terrified that he would find blood, and was relieved to see that the fluid surrounding the teen was clear. He nudged Kurt, and the doctor nodded quickly, showing that he had noticed.

"It's okay, Car-bear," her father said soothingly, pulling her head into his lap.

He shot a desperate look at the two husbands.

"Please tell me this is normal," he asked in a low voice.

"So far, this looks very normal," Blaine reassured him. "We'll take care of her. Don't worry."

"Sweetheart, can you tell me what happened exactly?" Kurt asked gently as they tried to settle her into a more comfortable position. He locked eyes with her, and his heart melted.

Gone was the irritable pregnant woman for earlier. In her place, was an absolutely terrified child. He immediately reached down to smooth the hair back out of her eyes and smiled soothingly.

"I don't..." she trailed off before she could even get a couple of words out, squeezing her eyes shut and tensing up.

"Breathe sweetie. Just breathe," Blaine spoke calmly. Sucking in and letting out deep breaths along with her.

She gripped Blaine's and her father's hands tightly, breathing through the contraction, and finally relaxing again.

"I don't know," she gasped. "The pain has been getting worse all day, but I thought that it was still just the Braxton Hicks. Next thing I knew, I was standing next to Brandi, cutting pies, and there was this huge, like, release of pressure. Then my legs were soaking wet. After that came the awful pain. Feels like someone is squeezing my stomach in a vice and then stabbing me in the back with a knife."

"I'd say you're in full blown labor, squishy," Blaine smiled. She gripped his hand in alarm. All desire to just be done with this pregnancy fell away and fear set in.

"No! It's too early! No! We have to stop it!"

"Honey," Kurt interrupted. "Your water broke. There's really no going back from that. Besides, you're only three weeks out. That is a perfectly acceptable amount of time to be early. Everything is gonna be fine, but we need to get you to the hospital right now."

He turned to Blaine and murmured under his breath.

"I have no desire to deliver yet another baby using Finn's shoelaces as medical equipment. Especially my own child."

Blaine smiled and rubbed his husband's back.

Cara looked up at her dad, shaking slightly from both pain and trepidation. He gave her a cheerful smile, trying his best to bolster her. She let out a ragged breath, and held out her hands to be helped up.

"Okay, get me to the car before the next contraction hits or I'm not gonna be able to walk."

She laughed nervously and a loud cheer broke out from the doorway. They all turned in surprise, realizing that they had momentarily forgotten that there were so many other people in the house.

Paul immediately stepped forward to help Cara walk, on the opposite side of her father, while everyone else cleared a path. Brandi dashed to Carole's side, looking nervous and concerned, and the women all gave Cara reassuring little squeezes as she passed, telling her she would do just fine.

Kurt and Blaine turned and looked at each other silently, one thought going through their minds.

_Oh my god! We're going to have a baby tonight!_


	14. Chapter 14

AN- To the anon who sent me an ask on tumblr, letting me know you had made me a banner for these stories, I am ridiculously excited to see it! You are one of my favorite people :)

To the anon who requested artwork from abritincanada, just for me?! Oh gosh, you are also in the 'one of my favorite people' category :)

The reviews, the notes, the support from all of you. Oh my. It just does things to my heart :)

Happy Early Birthday *Mummy*

Much Love,

PV

* * *

**Very Early Friday Morning**

"Sissy?"

Brandi immediately lifted her head from her pillow at the tiny voice. She was wide awake, but Grandma Carole had insisted on them at least trying to get some rest by the time midnight had rolled around.

"Liam?" She peered into the darkness, trying to make out his form, but knowing his voice well. She couldn't help but grin when pattering little feet sounded across her floor and a small, warm body scrambled up onto her bed.

"Hi, baby bear." She hugged him close, pulling him into her lap and sighing contentedly when he wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Sissy, where's daddies?"

"Daddies are at the hospital. They are with Cara so they can bring home the new baby. Remember how we're going to have a new baby?"

She felt a tingling warmth spread through her at mentioning the fact that 'we' were going to have a new baby, not 'they'. She couldn't even begin to express how much she loved being part of a 'we'. She was even beginning to believe that it was actually true, which was equal parts exhilarating and terrifying.

"Thomas!" Liam exclaimed happily. Brandi giggled.

"Maybe, bear. Maybe. Daddies will have to decide what they want to name the baby. We're gonna love it to pieces though, whatever they call it."

They sat quietly for a moment, Liam scrunching his fingers up in Brandi's pajama shirt, and Brandi rocking him slowly back and forth. She would never turn down the opportunity to snuggle her younger brother. Never. She had spent way too many nights helplessly worrying about his well being to ever deny him anything.

"Brandi?"

The teen looked up in surprise at another small voice. She knew even without seeing that it was Addy. The six-year-old was normally such a sound sleeper, and Brandi was a little shocked to find her awake.

"Yeah, princess?"

"Is Liam with you?"

"Yeah, he's right here."

"Can Elly 'n I snuggle with you too?"

Brandi smiled brightly as she peered toward the doorway, finally seeing two small figures standing there, looking hesitant.

"'Course! Climb on up."

The bed shook considerably when Addy bounced up with all of her might, followed much more gently by Elliott. Addy snuggled up to Brandi's left side, while Elly curled up at her right. She briefly let go of Liam to give each of the older kids a reassuring little squeeze.

"You guys okay?" She asked softly.

They both nodded simply, in response, but remained silent,

"Are you worried about the baby?" She asked carefully.

There was silence for a few more moments, until Addy spoke up.

"Well, kinda, I guess. We were just talking in El's room though. We're worried about some other stuff. I'm not too worried about the baby cuz Daddy Kurt is a super good doctor and Daddy is a super good nurse. They'll help the baby if he gets sick or anything."

Brandi thought to herself that there were some things that could go wrong that even their dads couldn't fix, as much as it hurt to admit. She didn't say so though. She had taken on a fiercely protective role when it came to her biological siblings, but now her foster siblings as well, albeit quietly. She was determined that each one would stay innocent of the cruel realities of the world for as long as possible. She would do anything within her power to make that happen. That would include placating them when she knew the possible, hurtful truths.

"'Course, Addy. Dads will be able to fix anything."

Addy sat up, and Brandi could see her dazzling smile in the darkness. Her long, black curls were falling loose around her pixie face, and she looked particularly angelic in that moment. Brandi reached out a hand to stroke the curls, still a little bit in awe of the fact that she now had a family who so readily accepted these types of physical displays. She shuddered when she considered what would have happened had she attempted to show any form of affection with her father, but quickly pushed those thoughts aside. This was not the time nor the place.

Addy leaned against her hand with a happy sigh. The younger girl was incredibly physical, and the moment Brandi had started to show her this form of affection, she had been lapping it up eagerly.

"What are you guys worried about then?" Brandi asked curiously.

Elliott sighed as he leaned against her shoulder, reaching a hand up to pat Liam's back before speaking.

"We're just sad, cuz we didn't get to say goodbye to Cara. After the baby is born she's not gonna be here anymore. We thought we'd get to be with her for another couple weeks, but instead she got taken off to the hospital so fast. Daddy Blaine said she won't stay here anymore, because it would make her really sad to see the baby, since it's gonna be our baby now. I know it's selfish, but I don't want her to go, Brandi! She's our squishy! She belongs with us!"

His voice turned into a hoarse whisper at the end, as he was trying to hold back his tears, and Brandi felt a lump form in her throat. She had, quite honestly, been struggling with the same thoughts all evening, but hadn't wanted to say so. Like Elliott, she felt that it was entirely too selfish. Never mind the fact that Cara was her first, and only, legitimate friend, and she was about to lose her.

"I know, monster," she replied in a whisper, leaning down to rest her head on top of his. "It makes me sad too."

"Will Cara still love us?" Addy asked in a broken voice.

"Of course she will!" Brandi answered quickly. "She loves all of us! She won't stop just because the baby is born. But guys, daddy Blaine is right. She's gonna be sad, and we have to love her back and be okay with letting her stay away if she needs to. I know it'll be hard, but this is how it has to be."

"Cawa gone?"

Brandi looked down at Liam's sad voice, to see his wide green eyes watching her intently.

"Yeah, bear. Cara's gone."

Liam pouted for a moment, then suddenly brightened.

"Thomas coming!"

Brandi glanced over to Addy and then Elly, all three of them smiling gently at each other once again.

"Thomas, sissy!" Liam squealed, leaning over to give Addy a kiss.

"Thomas, bubby!" He shouted once more, diving off of Brandi's lap and into Elliott's. The older boy barely caught him in time with a giggle.

"Yeah, bear. Thomas," Elliott smiled, hugging the toddler close.

Brandi sucked in a deep breath as she pulled Addy into her lap to replace Liam. The smaller girl sighed happily and automatically snuggled into her.

"You're right, Liam," the teen said with a determined smile. "The baby is coming home. We may be sad to lose Cara, but we're getting a new baby brother."

With a squeeze for all three siblings, she settled back down onto her pillow, finally starting to feel sleepy. They all crawled under the covers, piling in around her. She managed to put an arm around each of them, and pulled them to her as they all closed their eyes.

"I guess," she yawned, "we were never meant to have them both."

* * *

"Honey, will you stop pacing please? I didn't think it was possible to be more nervous than I was ten minutes ago, but you're making it happen."

Kurt shot an exasperated look over to his husband, while continuing his dizzying steps. He felt the same as he had outside of the therapists office while he waited for Elliott so many years ago, only this was ten times worse.

They had brought Cara in to the hospital over eight hours ago now. They had gone through hours of contractions, special breathing, and letting her squeeze both their hands simultaneously until they had broken blood vessels. All the while, feeling absolutely terrible at watching her go through so much pain. She had been a trooper though, barely complaining at all and even spewing out adorable rambling apologies to the nurses when she thought she had been too vocal during a contraction. They had reassured her repeatedly that grown men had complained more over pain in their care than she currently was.

That was why it was especially disheartening when they finally told her that she wasn't progressing quickly enough, and that it was looking like a C-section might be in order.

It then went from disheartening to downright scary when her blood pressure sky-rocketed and the baby's heart rate dropped. Kurt and Blaine had been ushered from the room and she had been swept off to surgery before they could bat an eye. Her father had gone into surgery with her.

They had been quickly reassured by one of the nurses that everything looked great, and they had nothing to worry about, before being left alone. Not worrying was basically impossible though. They simply knew too much.

"No, Blaine. I cannot stop pacing. How in the world can you sit still?"

Blaine smiled, despite his own anxiety, and stood up to pull Kurt into his arms. The doctor automatically stiffened, not quite in the mood to be mollified, but then quickly reigned in his attitude. They were in this together, not separately. Blaine was just as scared as he was.

Kurt sighed and tried to relax himself enough to hug Blaine back, and was surprised at how nice it felt, despite his tension. He let out another deep breath and sank into his husband fully.

"I'm sorry, baby. You know me, though. If there's some type of medical emergency, and I'm not the one in charge, I freak out. Let alone the fact that this involves our own child."

"You control freak doctors," Blaine teased softly. Kurt snorted a little laugh into his shoulder.

"I can't help it. I've been a control freak for as long as I can remember. My profession just exacerbates the problem."

Blaine just smiled silently, and rubbed gentle circles on his husband's back.

"Hey, Kurt," he spoke in a sing-song voice, slightly muffled from being pressed into his husband's neck.

Kurt laughed again, resting his cheek down on Blaine's shoulder.

"Yes, honey."

"Guess what."

"What?"

"We're about to have a baby."

"I realize that, Blaine," Kurt laughed.

"No, Kurt." Blaine pulled back to look the doctor in the eye carefully. "I want you to really think about it. You and I. Together. We're about to have a newborn baby. One that's for you and me. Together. We get to take that baby home to the rest of our beautiful children. Together. We get to raise him from the very beginning. Together. You and me and all of the older kids. All of us. Together."

The longer Blaine kept talking, the wider Kurt's smile became, and by the end he was grinning like a fool. He threw his arms around Blaine's neck, almost knocking him backward with his enthusiasm. Blaine only chuckled loudly, squeezing Kurt tight and even leaning back to lift him off the floor for just a second.

Though his nerves were still there, and would be until Cara's doctor came through the door to tell them that they had a son, Kurt was suddenly overflowing with joy, because really? He had never wanted anything more in his entire life. He and Blaine were finally getting the chance to experience it all. Together.

* * *

"Is that..." Cara's hoarse voice trailed off as the piercing, plaintive cry filled the air. She turned her head to the side to catch her father's gaze. He was leaning in closely, stroking the strands of hair that had escaped the little surgery cap that covered her head.

Their view was obscured by a small surgery curtain positioned at her chest, and even though her father could have viewed what was going on, simply by leaning to the side, he kept his focus solely on his daughter.

"What do you want Car-bear?" He whispered in a thick voice. "Do you want to see..."

He trailed off when she shook her head frantically from side-to-side, squeezing her eyes shut as hard as she could, tears steadily streaming down and dropping onto the stiff pillow beneath her head.

A nurse who was standing at the other side of the room, cleaning the newborn and wrapping him in a blanket, cautiously caught the eye of Cara's father. She sent him a silent question, and he shook his head slowly.

The nurse nodded with a smile that was the tiniest bit sad, yet incredibly understanding, then moved to place the infant in the mobile hospital crib. The would-be grandfather caught a glimpse of tiny chubby cheeks, rosy and bright, along with a shockingly thick tuft of strawberry-blonde hair, before the baby disappeared from sight.

Something tiny, something he didn't even know existed before this moment, broke as the baby was wheeled away. This baby, his first grandchild, was being taken away without any hope of him of ever being able to know him, to even hold him.

He knew that this small broken feeling would heal in time. He knew that, no matter how much it hurt in the moment, this was how it needed to be.

He pulled up every last bit of his strength, and pushed those feelings away. Time enough to deal with them later. He turned back to his now sobbing daughter, and cradled her head as he pressed kisses to her sweaty hair.

He still had his baby girl. His job was to take care of his own precious, baby girl. He wouldn't give that up for the idea of snugging a million possible grandbabies. Someday, maybe, but not today. Today was for Cara... and now, because of her brave decision, the next several years would still be for Cara.

* * *

**Late Friday Morning**

"So, what do you think?"

Kurt grinned as he leaned back against his husband's chest, sighing contentedly when he felt Blaine's arms fold around him and their newborn son.

They were both sitting on the bed in their own private room, away from the nursery. The nurses in the maternity ward had seen to it as soon as Cara had been brought in. One of the perks of being favorites among the entire staff at the hospital.

"I think that, having this moment with you? This exact moment? Is exactly what I've been wanting since we got married. I kind of feel so full of happiness and contentment that I might burst."

Blaine chuckled as he pressed a kiss to Kurt's cheek, resting his chin on the doctor's shoulder to look at their newborn son.

Greyson Malachi Hummel.

He was six pounds, five ounces, and nineteen inches long. He had an unbelievable amount of hair for a newborn- strawberry-blonde and sticking up on end. His cheeks were almost too chubby for how small he was, but that only served to make him that much more adorable. They had yet to get a good look the color of his eyes, though they guessed that they were blue, like so many newborns.

Even though he knew it was biologically impossible, Blaine could have sworn that their son looked so much like Kurt.

They were both just sitting contentedly, feeling like they really couldn't get enough of holding their son, when the door cracked open with a small knock.

"Hey, daddies."

They both smiled as Lisa entered the room with a bright smile. She squealed as quietly as possible, seeing how they were curled up together, and immediately pulled out her phone to snap some pictures. They both pulled out their own phones with soft exclamations, asking her to take more pictures so they could text the family.

She sat down in a chair close to them when she was finished.

"How are you guys?"

"We're pretty perfect," Blaine replied with a smile, not looking away from the two men in his arms. Lisa couldn't hold in a small 'awww', and they both smiled at her.

"Well, if everything falls into place, you should hopefully be able to take him home this evening. His APGAR scores were excellent. He's set to get his routine hearing screen soon here, and his immunizations right after. Has he eaten for you?"

"Yeah," Kurt said softly, pressing his cheek down against his son's. "Finished almost two ounces."

"Good," Lisa replied with a happy. "It'll be nice for you to take him home right away and not have to spend the night here at the hospital."

"Yeah, only he's going to go home to an unfinished bedroom," Kurt laughed.

They had gone out immediately on Tuesday to purchase everything they needed to finish the nursery, but hadn't had time to actually put it together.

"How is Cara?" Blaine's voice was quiet. It was obvious that the answer to this question would hold a lot of weight for him.

Lisa looked down at her lap carefully, judging her answer before she spoke. She looked up to find both men watching her anxiously, and smiled as she reached out to rub Greyson's tiny arm.

"The answer to that, is that she WILL be fine. The delivery went very well after that initial scare, and she'll have a normal C-section recovery. Emotionally... she's a bit of a mess right now, but it's a mess that is perfectly understandable and it is being managed."

Kurt sighed, but nodded, honestly expecting no other response.

Blaine was a different story. He placed a kiss on Kurt's hair, then leaned forward to softly kiss Greyson, before standing up and pacing a minute in agitation. Kurt sighed again as he watched his husband move restlessly around the room.

"Blaine, this is just how it is in a situation like this. You can't..."

"Can't what? Care?" Blaine shot out. He wasn't angry. Well, he wasn't angry at Kurt anyway, and he was grateful that his husband seemed to automatically get that. When he heaved out a deep breath, feeling exasperated with himself and looking at Kurt apologetically, the doctor simply gave him an understanding smile.

"Why don't I just go talk to her. Maybe-"

"Honey," Lisa interrupted with a pained expression. "She doesn't want to see you guys at all."

Even Kurt's eyes will filled with hurt at that, and Blaine liked as if she had just stabbed him in the chest repeatedly with a sharp knife.

"It's too much, guys. She didn't want to see the baby either. She couldn't do it. She needs to distance herself."

Kurt nodded in understanding, still looking pained, but like he could appreciate where Cara was coming from, and went back to snuggling the baby against his chest. Blaine just started pacing again anxiously.

Lisa watched her friend's agitation for a moment, before resolving herself, and holding out a hand for him. He eyed her warily, but took the open hand and sat down next to her. She chewed her lip for a moment before speaking.

"You have to understand, that giving this baby up is the hardest thing she will ever do in her life."

Blaine gave Lisa a look of disbelief.

"Of course I understand! I-"

"Blaine," Lisa sighed. "You are one of the most understanding and sympathetic men that I know, and I know how very much you care- not only about Cara, but about people in general. You have to realize though, that while you can be sympathetic, you cannot be EMpathetic in a situation like this. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

When he just looked at her uncertainly, she went on.

"You can't possibly know, really know, what it's like for a woman to give up her child. She is giving up a piece of herself. She is losing part of herself. She knows that she will forever wonder what it would have been like, or if she made the right choice. Even in a situation like Cara's, where giving her child to you is clearly a wise decision, she will always wonder just a bit. It's suddenly real. For the last nine months, even though she knew mentally that this was what was going to happen, her child was still there. With her. Inside of her. She was caring for him and nurturing him. The whole time. Now, all of a sudden, she is giving away her own flesh and blood. She is taking this child who was dependent on her for so long, and just giving him away. She is feeling lonely, and guilt-stricken, and she's grieving, and second-guessing herself... and then add on postpartum."

Blaine just gaped, feeling sick to his stomach.

"She doesn't need to feel guilty. She isn't doing anything wrong. She's doing something amazing for us."

Lisa nodded with a sad smile.

"Of course. We know that. Everyone knows that. Deep down, she knows it. You cannot expect her to come to terms with all of that so quickly though. It takes time. It's a process. No matter how much she knows this is the right thing, she has to deal with her feelings at her own pace. There is no easy way out in a situation like this. Sometimes, life just has to be shit for a little while before it can get better."

"I don't want it to be shit for her though," Blaine whispered roughly, looking so young and devastated, rather than a husband and father of six.

"Oh, sweetie," Kurt's shoulders sagged, absolutely hating to see his husband this way. He both loved and hated Blaine's sensitivity and huge heart. It made the nurse so incredibly good it his job and absolutely amazing as a father, but in situations like these, it tended to rip him to pieces emotionally. He stood from his place on the bed, and walked over.

Blaine opened his arms immediately when Kurt moved to place Greyson against his chest. As soon as the baby was settled, Kurt knelt down next to him, placing a hand on his knee.

"Of course you don't want that for her. Neither do I. It kills me... but Lisa is right. It unfortunately just has to be this way for a bit. We have been there for Cara as much as we could possibly be. Our part, when it comes to her care, is done now. It's up to her father. She's also going to have all the support she wants from the adoption agency, and from social services connected with the hospital. We have absolutely got to respect her by not contacting her, if that's what she wishes."

Blaine closed his eyes, and heaved out a deep breath. He held his new son even closer to his chest, pressing a kiss onto the downy tuft of hair.

"I know that you're right. I know, I just... I didn't expect for it to hit me so hard, being so concerned for her."

Kurt didn't say anything, just leaned forward to wrap his arms around Blaine's waist and rested his head on the nurses arm, looking on contentedly at Greyson. Blaine leaned into him, joining his husband in gazing at their son.

"Now it's our job to take care of you, Greys."

Kurt smiled at the pet name. He then thought of the other nickname that he knew they would end up calling their son. It was kind of Cara's legacy.

"We're gonna take such good care of you, nugget."

Blaine laughed, but it was a bit teary. He leaned into Kurt for a quick hug before nodding to his phone that had been left sitting on the bed.

"Let's send some of the pictures to the kids, babe. It's time for them to officially meet the youngest Hummel."

Kurt quickly skipped over to pick up the phone, and forwarded the best picture that Lisa had taken to the kids. He typed a little message and smiled as he pressed send.

_~ Meet your new brother, Greyson Malachi "nugget" Hummel. Love, Daddies ~_

* * *

**Friday Afternoon **

Cara pressed her face down into her pillow, willing the pain meds to kick in so that she could sleep.

She wanted to be done crying. She wanted to be done thinking. She wanted to be done feeling- at least for the moment.

She sighed in relief when she began to feel the slight bit of loopiness, and started to close her eyes. She cracked them open with a bit of irritation though, when the door to her room popped open.

"Hey, sweetheart. Are you asleep?"

She swallowed back the tears that seemed to constantly overflow in the last few hours whenever anyone spoke to her. She knew that voice. It was Lisa, that super nice nurse who didn't even work in the maternity ward, but had stuck around to help care for the teen anyway. Cara figured it was a favor to Kurt and Blaine, but oddly never felt like she was a burden. Lisa just had a gift of making people feel comfortable and wanted.

Cara didn't answer, but shifted slightly on the bed to show that she was at least awake. She stared blankly into Lisa's eyes when the nurse knelt down next to her. She then closed her eyes again, feeling her emotions swell when Lisa reached up a hand to brush back her hair without saying a word. They stayed that way for a few long moments, Lisa offering what comfort she cold give, and Cara taking it gratefully.

After serval minutes, Lisa took a deep breath and pulled out her phone.

"Listen, you have every right to say no, but I have something I want to show you. If you tell me that you'd rather not, I will absolutely respect that. If you are game though, I'd really like you to take a look at this picture. I just... really think that it will do you some good."

Cara tensed immediately at Lisa's words. She had a pretty good idea what the subject of this picture would be. She thought she had been quite clear on how she felt. She needed space. She needed distance, from everything.

She was about to open her mouth to argue, when she saw the look in the nurses eyes. They were just begging for the teen to trust her. Cara felt her chest tighten, and tears sting the corners of her eyes. With a minute movement, she nodded her agreement, and then braced herself- ready for her world to come crashing down when she saw the picture.

What she saw though, was not at all what she had expected. She had anticipated chubby cheeks, and bright eyes, and daddies oohing and aahing as they fawned over the baby that was no longer hers.

What she saw, was two husbands- one with his arms around the other, both looking at the camera with the brightest smiles she had ever seen. Blaine was holding onto Kurt and was resting his chin in the doctor's shoulder. Kurt was leaning back into his husband, his head resting against the nurse's cheek.

There was a small bundle snuggled lovingly in Kurt's arms, held close against the doctor's chest. Blaine's hands were splayed over Kurt's, gripping them tightly and helping to hold onto the bundle.

The thing that drew her in, was pure joy on their faces. Joy that she had caused. Joy that clearly came from the nondescript bundle in their arms. She was suddenly hit with the memory of how she had felt, two days before, during the ultrasound. She had been so sure, so at peace. This was their baby.

She suddenly realized that this hadn't changed. Yes, the next little while was going to be terrible for her. She was going to cry, and ache, and hurt beyond belief. There was no way around that.

The baby was theirs though. It was still the right thing. She was making the right choice.

She swallowed back another flood of tears. If it was so right, then why did it still have to hurt so much?

She took one more look at the picture, smiling a tiny yet genuine smile, before handing the phone back to Lisa. She looked the nurse steadily in the eye.

"Thank you."

Lisa nodded somberly, stroking her hair once more, before standing and helping to tuck Cara back under the covers. It was easy to see that the teen was fading fast, and sleep was the best possible thing for her right now.

"Lisa?" Cara spoke quietly, eyes closed, words slurred just a bit. Lisa smiled gently.

"What, sweetie?"

"Tell squishy I love him. Tell them all I love them. I'm not gone forever. Just until I'm okay again. Not forever..."

* * *

**Friday Evening**

"Addy, eat your peas."

"They're gross, Grandpa."

Paul looked over his glasses at the little girl, and had to work to hold in his smile. Only Addy could pull of a look of disgust and make it look stinking adorable.

"Not the point, princess. You know very well that your dads make you eat vegetables at every meal, so we're gonna do it. It's good for you."

"Yeah, Addy," Brandi spoke up softly, scooping up a spoonful of peas as a show. "I thought you wanted to be a nurse or a doctor like daddies someday? You have to eat good food so you can grow up big and strong, to be like them."

"She doesn't want to be a doctor or a nurse anymore," Elliott spoke up, stabbing one pea at a time with a fork and popping them into his mouth.

Addy looked at her brother with a bright smile, nodding.

"What do you want to be now, sweetheart?" Carole asked with a laugh, encouraging Tia to eat a small spoonful of her own peas.

"A welder!" Addy exclaimed, bouncing in her chair.

Burt snorted and shook his head, helping Liam with his own plate of food. He quickly stopped his laughing though, when Addy shot him a glare.

"Um," he coughed. "Tell me why you want to be a welder, princess."

"We watched 'Dirty Jobs' the other day," Elliott rolled his eyes, but sent his sister a loving glance. She looked back at all three of her grandparents and nodded cheerfully.

"Well," Burt replied, holding in his smile. "I believe you can be anything you want, darlin'. You still need to eat your peas though."

"But they're gross!"

"Addy, watch," Puck scooted forward in his chair, scooping up the remainder of her peas in his bare hand. At Carole's sharp gasp, he held up his hand, as if to say that they just needed to give him a chance. He cupped his hand up around his nose, then began to make exaggerated noises and gasped for breath.

"Ah-ah-ah-aaaahhhhh-choooo!"

"Phew!" He pretended to wipe his brow with his free arm, the pulled away the cupped hand from his nose, offering the peas to Addy. "There you go, cupcake. Fresh from my nose to your mouth."

Addy squealed in laughter and snatched the peas from Puck's hand, shoving them into her mouth. Puck glanced around at the other adults with a wide grin.

"I know my niece."

"That's disgusting, Addy," Elliott sighed. Addy stuck her tongue out, accidentally spitting out a couple of peas. Brandi wrinkled her nose, but smiled at her younger siblings anyway.

"Noah, you'd be a good dad yourself someday," Paul looked at the officer appraisingly. "You ever think about it?"

"Um, someday," Puck said quietly, looking over at Tia as she smashed her peas into her booster tray. "Someday."

"Okay, everyone done with their dinner?" Carole spoke up, moving to clear the plates. "I've got dessert-"

They all stopped what they were doing when the front door suddenly opened, and Kurt and Blaine stepped in; laden with bags, and packages, and most importantly, a baby carrier.

"Daddies!"

Liam, Elly and Addy all dived from their seats, dashing over to their fathers' sides. Tia squealed to be let down from her seat. Brandi followed, with a tad more reservation, but just as much excitement.

Puck watched with a growing smile as his two friends knelt down among their kids, pulling the newborn from his carrier and showing him off. It looked pretty amazing, to be a dad.

_Someday._

* * *

**Friday Night**

Four hours later, there were eight people piled up on the king sized bed in Kurt and Blaine's room. The nurse was sitting tall against the headboard, holding Greyson to his chest. His head was tipped back slightly, mouth open just the tiniest bit, dead asleep. Kurt was flush up against his side, head on the nurse's shoulder, just as soundly asleep. Tia was plastered against his chest, face smooshed down into his neck and tiny hands wrapped around him. Liam was sprawled across both of their laps, arms and legs spread eagle. Brandi was curled up against Blaine's other side, clutching his arm and breathing steadily against his shoulder. Elly and Addy, the 'twins' of the family, were cuddled up together at Kurt's free side. Elliott had his back against Kurt's arm, and Addy was clinging to her brother like a little octopus. His fingers were threaded through her dark curls, and he was stroking them gently in his sleep, just as he'd done since they were three.

Eight people. One family. In reality, no combination of their relationships would be considered 'normal' by most of society. Two men as the parents. Adoption. Surrogacy. Fostering.

It didn't matter.

To anyone who might look on in that moment, it would be quite obvious. This little family really couldn't have been more flawless.


	15. Chapter 15

_The sweetest victories, the happiest endings... they come after a journey fraught with the most harrowing obstacles._

_Much Love,_

_PickingViolets_

* * *

**Monday Morning**

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Mr. Hudson, you need to understand that-"

"You have GOT to be kidding me!"

Silence fell across the room.

A young man sitting in the office chair across from the judge, was looking pointedly at the ground. The aging judge was sitting directly at his desk, staring at Finn evenly with narrowed eyes. Nick had lowered himself to sit down on a small table that was up against a wall, looking absolutely ill. The second lawyer in the room, a stranger to Finn, was looking incredibly uncomfortable and standing stiffly near his equally uncomfortable client. Finn had raised himself from the chair next to the man whose eyes were downcast in a guilty manner.

"Why? Why would you... we talked! We talked and I told you how well Tia and Liam were doing! The last time we talked you were still in Nevada and you agreed that they were better off! They're happy and loved and... why? Why all of a sudden... and like this! When did you even get into town? Why didn't somebody at least warn me?! You're giving them absolutely no warning either! You're just going to..."

Finn trailed off and sank back down into his chair, lowering his face into his hands.

"I didn't mean to upset anyone," the man in the chair next to him said softly. "I'm trying to do the right thing here. I got to thinking after our talks, and I couldn't bear the thought of just giving up on my own kids. Not after what they went through with their mother."

"Where the hell where you when they were actually going through these things," Finn shouted, leveling the man with a glare. The smaller man paled, but didn't cower away.

"I didn't know, okay? I didn't know, and I have felt so sick about it since the day you called me," he responded in a shaky voice. "I hate myself, knowing that my own flesh and blood went through those things! I almost went along with what you suggested, leaving them with their foster parents. I thought they'd be better off. These foster parents you told me about are doctors and stuff. I thought at first they'd be better... but then I really got to thinking. Who is better than their own father? And how do I know that these guys will take any better care of them? Just because they have money doesn't mean they'll be better parents than I could be."

"So," Finn choked out, "all this time we were waiting on those paternity results, all this time we left the Hummel's hanging, waiting to hear something... all this time, after they decided that they wanted to go ahead with adoption and become Tia and Liam's fathers... you were just trying to figure out the logistics and legalities of taking them back. You didn't have the courtesy to even let them know."

The other man bowed his head, looking shamed, and Finn looked up in the air, sucking in a deep breath. All he wanted to do was to throw up right now. He glanced over at Nick, and could tell that the lawyer was struggling with the same thing. The social worker ran a hand through his hair distractedly.

"Look, if you're so concerned about their well being, why don't we set up some visits. I would never try to keep you from your kids completely if that wasn't what you wanted, and I know Kurt and Blaine would feel the same. Let's just make it so you can meet them. You'll see that-"

"No," the other man repeated softly. "I know that this will be sudden. I know it will probably be hard at first, but I think it'll be better than making it long and drawn out. They're my kids. I want them. The judge has agreed. Let's just get this thing done and then we'll all be able to move on with our lives."

Finn growled in frustration and leapt from his chair, pacing back and forth. Nick watched him with pain-filled eyes, and turned to the other lawyer and judge.

"Surely you both realize how unorthodox your request," he nodded to the lawyer, "and decision," he nodded to the judge, "is. Why wouldn't you at least allow time for the entire family to adjust to this? On top of that, how do we know that this man, this father, will treat the children any better than the mother? We know nothing about him. You're taking the children away from what we know is a safe and loving environment, and thrusting them into one that is completely unknown. We should at least allow some time for-"

"Mr. Scott has passed every background check," the other lawyer responded evenly. "He is a completely above-board citizen, with nothing in his past that would cause us to question his ability to parent his own children. We have no real reason to keep his children from him. He has every legal right."

"I'm not suggesting that we keep them from him completely," Nick replied, his voice tight. "I'm suggesting that we give it a trial run. I'm suggesting that we give the foster parents, who love this child dearly, the time to adjust to this situation. I'm suggesting that we give these children, who have been through hell and back, time to adjust to the fact that they will be taken away from the one loving environment they have ever known. Give them time. Let the foster parents help them adjust even. I know that they will. As much as it will kill them, they want these kids to be happy."

He paused and sent an even stare in the direction of the other lawyer's client.

"I'm mostly suggesting- that we give it a little time before we trust this man completely. These kids deserve that at least. They deserve for us to be thorough. They deserve for-"

"That is enough, Mr. Duval," the judge responded tightly. "I have heard your suggestions and my decision holds. I would stop right now if I were you, because you are dangerously close to sounding like you are questioning my judgment, and that would be a unwise move on your part."

Nick tensed, and gave a jerky nod, looking pointedly away for a moment. The judge continued with a glance of irritation around the room.

"I am aware that this situation is probably a little more rushed than you would like, and more so than the norm. I have met the father, however. I have read all of the reports regarding his background. I have read the history concerning the children. They are legally his. He has not signed them away, and now that he has decided to take them himself- and not leave them in the care of the foster parents, we will uphold that. You will respect my decision."

He attempted to level both Nick and Finn with a glare, but to the credit of them both, they just looked back steadily. They nodded respectfully, but they held their heads high, showing clearly how they still felt. The judge leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"I do see the point, of not completely jerking away the one stable environment these children have come to know, however."

The young father looked up anxiously and the judge went on.

"Mr. Scott has already made temporary living arrangements, and I will require that he stay here, in town, for two months time. During that time, he will be given complete custody of his children, but the foster parents will be given supervised visitation rights, along with regular visits by their social worker," he nodded at Finn. "This will hopefully help with the adjustment period, and..." he sent an even stare toward Nick, "help to ensure that we have been 'thorough' in making sure that these children will be properly cared for."

The young father nodded slowly, realizing that this was probably the best he could hope for. Nick swallowed hard, and stood to shake hands with the other lawyer.

"When?" Finn asked in a rough voice.

"I'll give you until this evening," the judge replied evenly.

Finn simply connected his gaze with the father, and then walked out of the room.

* * *

**Monday Afternoon**

"Daddy!"

"What, bear?" Kurt called in a tired voice as he kept a steady hand on top of his four day old son. He was in the midst of changing a diaper, when the two-year-old's voice called from down the hall. His eyes widened though when the small blonde limped into the nursery, holding a hand over a bloodied knee.

"Oh, honey! What did you do?"

Liam looked up with bright eyes and sniffed back his tears.

"Bubby's bed."

Kurt nodded with an exasperated smile. Liam had been making a habit of climbing on top of Elliott's bed and jumping, inevitably leading to him falling off the edge and bumping or bruising himself somehow. Kurt and Blaine had been trying to discourage it, but they had honestly been so thrilled with the toddler acting like a typical child for once, their admonishments hadn't been too heartfelt. Something like this was a reality check for the doctor though. It was time to start buckling down and being just as firm about rules with Liam as he was with Addy or Elly.

"Sit down on the floor, sweetie. I'll fix you up in just a second."

Liam nodded with another damp sounding sniff and plopped to the floor. Kurt went back to hurriedly finishing with Greyson's diaper, but Blaine popped his head through the door before he could finish.

"What happened? I thought I heard Liam crying."

The nurse had a sleepy looking Tia propped on his hip and was looking around in concern. Kurt nodded with a sad smile, down to where Liam was huddled on the floor.

"Evil Knievel here decided to jump on Elly's bed again. Landed his first big injury in our care."

Blaine looked at Liam in concern, and squatted down next to the boy.

"Liam, daddy told you not to do that. Only ten minutes ago I told you to stop because you would get hurt."

The two-year-old bowed his head, then looked up at Blaine with a lower lip that was trembling.

"Sowry, daddy."

Kurt bit his lip, trying hard not to laugh as he tossed the dirty diaper in the bin and scooped Greyson back up into his arms. That little lip sticking out would be the end of Blaine. The nurse seriously could not handle his children looking so sad and pathetic... his heart would just melt.

"Oh, bear," Blaine crooned, pulling the toddler into a hug, "it's okay. I'm sorry you got hurt, but you just need to listen to me next time. Okay?"

He glanced up at a small snort from Kurt and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up."

"Hey, now!" Kurt grinned. "Don't get all annoyed with me just because you turn into a puddle every time one of our children sends you a semi-pathetic look. Besides, I wasn't teasing. I just think you're cute is all."

Blaine grinned back and stood as he leaned in for a quick kiss. He paused against Kurt's lips, and sighed.

They hadn't had sex since the new baby was born, and for them, that was a long time. They were both starting to feel the tension, and every quick kiss they stole throughout their days was backed with a lot of intensity.

"Tonight," Blaine whispered, nipping a tiny bit at Kurt's bottom lip. The doctor shivered and nodded, more than ready to acquiesce. Brandi had been telling them since before Greyson was born that all they had to do was ask and she would be thrilled to get up with the newborn in the night for his feedings, giving her foster fathers a break. Kurt had been hesitant, seeing as he never wanted to take advantage of Brandi's giving nature. He figured that letting her do it for one night, for just one feeding even, wouldn't hurt.

God, he really needed to get laid, and he knew that Blaine needed it, too.

Blaine pulled back, raising an eyebrow suggestively as he did so, causing Kurt to laugh and shake his head.

"Okay, Liam," Blaine said cheerily as he turned around. "We're gonna let daddy rock Greyson. Let me lie sissy down for her nap and then I will bandage you all up."

Kurt knelt down by Liam when Blaine ducked out of the room, balancing their youngest son in one arm as he brushed the hair from Liam's eyes with a sympathetic smile.

"Are you okay, bear? Is it really owie?"

"Jus' tiny bits owie," Liam sniffed, leaning into Kurt's hand. The doctor laughed a little, melting a bit at how Liam pressed into him so contentedly, with so much trust.

He could not wait for the day when he got to officially call this child his son. He was starting to get impatient, and hoped that they were able to work through all of the red tape soon.

Blaine was back within moments and pulled Liam into his arms, toting the youngster off to the bathroom to patch up the bloodied knee. Kurt moved to the rocker that had been placed in Greyson's room, and sank into it with a tired sigh. They had gotten so little sleep since bringing him home, but nothing had ever been quite so worthy of a little exhaustion.

He and Blaine were finally able to do this together, take care of a newborn that was both of theirs, and he was so ridiculously happy. What made it even better was sharing it with all of the other kids. Greyson was so incredibly loved by his older siblings. Kurt was pretty sure that they had yet to hear the baby really cry, because there was a constant multitude of people to hold him. Even now that Puck had gotten a hotel room; and was no longer staying at their house, he was there constantly to help. Then add on the grandparents, Finn and Rachel, and then friends... it all added up to a happily held baby.

Kurt and Blaine were the tiniest bit worried about him getting spoiled, but they knew that if their biggest concern was whether their child was held too much, they really had it good.

Kurt smiled softly as Greyson let out a minute sigh and relaxed completely in his father's arms. He looked down lovingly at the small face that was pressed against his chest. Tiny lips were pursed and letting out soft coos, and chubby cheeks were twitching as Greyson started searching in his sleep for his next meal.

He really was an incredible newborn, so easy-going and content, and they knew that they were quite blessed. Kurt sank his head back against the rocker and was just getting ready to close his eyes, when Brandi knocked softly on the door. He looked up with a gentle smile for his eldest, and nodded for her to come in.

Since coming home from the hospital with their newest addition, Brandi had seemed to have a break-through. She was so much less timid, much more affectionate, and just generally at ease with the whole family. Kurt and Blaine were both called 'dad' or 'daddy', though it was said with a bit of shyness. They, in turn, were automatically referring to themselves by the same. She was also one hundred percent in love with Greyson, and constantly at her parents' elbows, waiting to be needed.

She entered the room now though, with an air of uncertainty.

"What's on your mind, punkin?"

Brandi knelt down next to him, smiling brightly at the baby and running a finger against the chubby cheek. She looked up at Kurt with a serious expression, and sighed.

"I was wondering..." she bit her lip, glancing aside anxiously, then took a deep breath as she hurried on. "I was wondering how you would feel about me calling Cara."

Kurt felt his shoulders sag. This is the first real thing that Brandi had ever requested of them, and he had to say no.

"Honey, I'm so sorry," he looked at her sadly. "I wish you could. I know you miss her. We all do. She wants space right now though. We have to respect that."

Brandi flushed brightly, nodding her head quickly, and made to leave. Kurt reached out a hand to stop her.

"Hey, talk to me. What's going on in your head?"

Brandi sank back down on the floor with a deep blush.

"I'm sorry I asked," she said softly, looking down at the floor.

"No," Kurt exclaimed, a little too loudly, causing Greyson to startle in his arms. "Don't you ever apologize for telling me something you want. Dad and I ALWAYS want you to come to us. Always. Honey, I wish so much that I could let you call her, and if it was within my power to give you your friend back, I would."

He reached out to squeeze her hand, and she squeezed back with a sad smile.

"I just thought maybe if I talked to her on the phone, maybe it might make her happy again. She wouldn't have to see Greyson or anything."

"It's such a nice thought, punkin. I know that Cara would appreciate it, but we just can't put any pressure on her. You're such a good friend though, Brandi."

Brandi sighed again, blushing a bit at the compliment, and leaned against his arm.

"You're right. I don't want to pressure her. And thanks, daddy."

He bent over to kiss the top of her head, and they settled against each other for a moment, watching Greyson sleep contentedly.

Kurt started a little when he heard a sharp cry from Tia's room. A moment later, Blaine called from down the hall.

"Kurt, can you possibly check on her? I decided to put Liam in the bath."

Brandi immediately jumped to her feet, showing that she would check on her sister, but Kurt shook his head.

"Why don't you go ahead and hold Greys for me. I'll go get Tia."

Brandi smiled brightly, settling herself in the rocking chair after Kurt stood up, and took the infant happily, automatically humming as she snuggled him into her shoulder.

Kurt squeezed her arm before quickly jogging down the hall. He shook his head with a roll of his eyes once he reached Tia's door. He knew that cry well. It was her 'I'm going to look as pathetic as possible so that people will feel sorry for me and hold me, even though there is absolutely nothing wrong' cry. He opened the door with a placating smile.

Even though he knew very well that she was perfectly fine, his heart plummeted just a bit when he saw her down-turned mouth and wide, watering eyes. She reached pudgy arms for him with grabby fingers.

"Dada!"

"Hey there, goober," he called out softly, moving over to scoop her up. She gulped back a choked cry and clambered into his arms, pressing her face against him with a little sigh.

"What's wrong, Tia? Did you just want daddy to hug you?"

She rubbed a hand over her face sleepily, and sighed once more as she fell lax against him.

"Dada."

Kurt beamed at the term, never growing tired of how their newest children thought of him and Blaine as their fathers so easily. He kissed her cheek and held her close.

"Soon, baby. Soon I'll get to be that for real."

* * *

Finn held up his hand to knock on the front door. He hesitated, clenching his eyes shut for a moment and taking a steeling breath, before forcing his hand forward. It only took a moment, and Blaine was at the door, holding a fresh faced Liam with damp hair and rosy cheeks.

"Finn! What are you doing here in the middle of the day?"

Finn opened his mouth, willing anything to come out. Blaine looked at him curiously, rubbing a soothing hand over Liam's back.

"You okay, man? Come on in."

"Is Kurt here?" Finn asked in a strained voice as he stepped through the door.

"Yeah," Blaine answered slowly... cautiously. "He's just trying to get Tia settled for a nap."

Finn gave a jerky nod, then looked Blaine steadily in the eye, causing the nurse's pleasant expression to fall away completely.

"Get him please. Immediately. We all need to talk."

* * *

Burt was rummaging through the fridge, looking for something decent to eat. Carole was outside with the kids, playing in the yard, and he was hoping to snag a mid-day snack now that she wasn't there to keep an eye on him. He grumbled a bit when his phone rang, and debated just not answering.

He was never more irritated as when someone interrupted his secret snack times. On the third ring, he rolled his eyes and decided to at least pull it out to check his caller ID. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face when he saw Kurt's name flash on the screen.

He had never seen his son so content and fulfilled as he was right now. Kurt finally had all the things he had always hoped for, and it showed so easily. Burt pressed answer with a grin.

"Hey there, kiddo! What adorable, and/or, hilarious grandkid stories do you have for your old dad today?"

His brow furrowed when there was only silence on the other end.

"Kurt? Bud?"

A sharp intake of breath.

_"Dad?"_

Burt's heart dropped. Nothing good could come from that tone.

"Yeah, bud."

_"I need you. I can't... I... I need you. Please."_

All thoughts of snacks, all thoughts of absolutely anything else, disappeared immediately. He whipped around, searching for his keys.

"I'm on my way, kiddo. I'm on my way."

* * *

Puck sighed contentedly as he lounged back on the hotel bed. He had been spending every free moment at Kurt and Blaine's, enjoying his time with the kiddos. Elly and Addy were back at school full time today, and Puck had decided to take a well-deserved nap and a bit of time to himself before heading back over to the 'circus', as he thought of the Hummel house in his head.

He cracked open an eye when he heard an alert on his phone, and shook with a little laughter. Kurt had been sending him pictures of Greyson almost nonstop, even when Puck was right there to see it for himself.

He snatched his phone from the night table with a grin, and raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw that it was a text from Finn instead. He sat up slowly as he read, feeling his stomach sink. He gripped the phone tightly after reading the text twice, making sure that he wasn't misreading it.

He let out a low growl, holding his phone over his head, ready to whip it across the room. With deep breaths, he calmed himself a bit, stopping just in time from doing something incredibly stupid. He really couldn't afford to buy a new phone right now.

He jumped from the bed, snagging his coat as he dashed for the door. So many times police escorts were used in these situations. At the very least, he could use his clout to temper the situation. He wanted to scream when he realized that this was the absolute only thing he could offer his friend right now.

* * *

Kurt's reaction had been about exactly what Finn had expected. Solemn, stoic, accepting. He was the picture of calm.

It was all a front. Finn knew he was dying inside.

Blaine's reaction had been a little harder to predict, as Finn had only known his brother-in-law for the last few years.

In all honesty, Finn still wasn't sure what was going on in Blaine's head. The nurse had grown quiet and stiff throughout their conversation. He had started off initially with small proclamations of disbelief, but those faded away when Finn had shared, in a wretched voice, the entire situation- and how it was all above board and legal.

There was nothing that Kurt and Blaine could do. There was nothing Finn could do. There was nothing Nick could do.

Tia and Liam's father would come to take them. He would take them tonight. Kurt and Blaine would get a few supervised visitations over the next couple of months to help in the adjustment, and then that would be it.

Blaine had grown quiet then, but it wasn't the calm quiet that Kurt was displaying. It was a quiet that barely covered the storm brewing inside. The only thing he said after that point was:

"We never should have let them call us daddy."

Kurt's eyes had closed at those words, pressing his lips to Tia's chubby cheek, and Finn saw his chest heave for just a moment before his cool demeanor returned. Blaine just stared blankly as he held Liam tightly. The two-year-old squirmed to get down, and Blaine eased him to the ground. He clenched the table with white knuckles when the toddler ran off to play with his trains, blissfully ignorant of what was going on.

Brandi had been in the nursery with Greyson for the whole conversation, and had thankfully missed the initial telling. By the time Addy and Elly got home from school, Burt had arrived, and had taken Greyson from the thirteen-year-old, telling her that her fathers needed her.

Woodenly, Kurt and Blaine had sat all five children down at the kitchen table. Finn had stood by, ready to help or intervene the moment he was needed...

* * *

_Blaine pulled Brandi in close to him, holding her hand. He wished to God that there had been enough time to talk to her separately before this all went down, but there just wasn't. This was happening right now. He knew that this would affect her more than anybody though, and he was scared of how she would respond._

_"We have something we need to share," Kurt rasped, then cleared his throat carefully. Blaine scootched over to hold his husband's hand, too, but it was obvious that it was out of habit and mechanical, rather than the type of loving connection they normally shared. Kurt squeezed the hand back, just as robotically._

_"You all know that Tia and Liam have a different dad than Brandi's, right?"_

_Elly and Addy looked on curiously, while Liam and Tia watched on from their foster fathers' laps. Brandi stiffened, and watched Kurt speak with obvious anxiety._

_Kurt opened his mouth to speak again, but nothing seemed to come out. When he snapped his mouth shut and looked away, closing his eyes for a moment, Blaine sat forward._

_"The truth, guys, is that Liam and Tia's real daddy has come back to town."_

_There was silence as each of the children fought to comprehend what this might mean. Blaine rushed on, knowing that he needed to remain calm and rational right now, and that his ability to do so was quickly fading._

_"When they were taken away from their mommy, Uncle Finn called him and told him that we were taking care of them. At first, he wanted us to take care of them. He knew that they were happy and safe with us and that we loved them. That's why we told you we wanted to a-adopt them. We meant that, we want you all to know. We... we meant it..."_

_He trailed off, his voice becoming rough and tight. The kids looked at him with wide eyes. The four youngest seemed to not quite understand... but Brandi did. She was tense, looking like she was ready to spring away at a moment's notice. She was gripping the table tightly, her fingers shaking, and staring at Blaine as if her life depended on what he said next. He locked eyes with her, and couldn't speak._

_Kurt cleared his throat one more time, and stepped in._

_"We want Tia and Liam. We want them so much." He squeezed Liam to him, and tried to smile when the two-year old patted his cheek with a grin. "As much as we want them though, their real father is the one who should be taking care of them. Now that he's back in town, he can do that. He's going to come tonight..." His voice wavered, and he almost faltered when a sound like a wounded animal escaped Brandi's lips. "He's going to come, and he's going to take them home with him. We-we need to take a little time now and all say goodbye to each other."_

_Quiet fell over the table once again, before the three oldest children responded._

_Brandi dove from her seat, yanked her younger brother and sister from Kurt and Blaine's arms, and collapsed down on the floor, holding them close. She was dry-eyed, and staring blankly over their heads. Blaine murmured her name and reached out for her, but she stiffened and pulled away, only tightening her grip on her siblings._

_Blaine pulled back his hand shakily, looking to Kurt. The doctor was watching the teen in anguish, clearly just as uncertain how to respond._

_They both whipped around, when a loud whimper came from Addy. She gazed at her fathers with wide eyes, bottom lip quivering, before throwing her face down in her hands, sobbing harshly. Blaine quickly moved from his chair, pulling her into his arms._

_Elliott and Kurt both watched on in silence. The doctor struggling to hold onto his calm, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do next. The seven-year-old struggling to grasp the enormity of what he had just been told, and wanting more than anything to just fix this, and make his family happy again._

_Elliott finally stood quietly, going over to Kurt and climbing into his lap._

"I'm sorry, daddy."

_Kurt closed his eyes, holding Elliott to him and kissing his hair._

_"Yeah, monster. Me, too. Me, too."_

* * *

**Monday Evening**

Brandi watched as her two foster fathers moved around the house. It was obvious that every movement was forced. Every teary smile that they plastered on was a show for the younger children.

They were absolutely broken, but they were forging ahead anyway, because they had to.

This was what she had been talking about, when she'd told the kids the other night that even their dads couldn't fix everything. Some things in this world were just too big. Some things were too horrible. Even their superhero fathers couldn't fix something like this.

She watched on as her two foster parents packed bags for the younger kids, Kurt a little more actively than Blaine. The nurse seemed to freeze up every few minutes, and would stare on helplessly. The doctor was more stoic and steady. This was nothing surprising though, it was kind of their M.O.

Logically, she knew the reality. The Hummels loved her. They loved Tia and Liam. This turn of events was out of their control. She knew this.

Logically.

She watched them pack up her sister and brother. She watched as they headed to the front door when the bell rang. She watched as they walked out the door, taking away the only real family she had.

She watched... and the only thing she could feel- was betrayed.

* * *

Blaine looked on as the stranger buckled his kids into the backseat of the beat-up rental car.

Kurt and Finn were loading bags of Tia and Liam's things into the trunk, and the doctor was rambling on with a list of a million little instructions that were making the young father's eyes glaze over.

Puck was standing just off to the side, sending the father leveling warning glances every chance he got.

Blaine watched his husband in a daze, unable to believe that this was actually happening, and that Kurt was actually helping the man. He wasn't fighting. He wasn't angry. He was fucking helping the man.

At first he had been bewildered by Kurt's seeming serenity, though he knew deep down that this was just Kurt's way. Watching him now though, calmly explaining which toys the kids liked to sleep with- and which type of cracker was the least messy for Tia to eat... now Blaine was just growing angry.

Apparently he was all alone in actually caring that their children would be taken away. Something deep down told him he was being unfair, and so very unloving, to be thinking this way. He pushed that nagging feeling aside. The hurt and pain that was filling his soul too easily overwhelmed his common sense.

The nurse turned back to see Liam look out of his window in confusion. A tiny hand was pressed up against the window, and wide, green eyes suddenly seemed to finally grasp the fact that his fathers were not joining him on this little road trip.

Blaine watched him mouth the word 'daddy'.

This man was taking away his kids.

His kids.

HIS kids.

Kurt stepped away from the car on unsteady legs, holding his hand to his mouth as Tia made her little 'grabby hands' motion for him. The doctor reached out a hand, as if hold her small fingers from a distance, but turned it into a shaky wave at the last minute.

The young father glanced around uncertainly after shutting Tia's door.

Blaine started shaking his head. First slowly, and then almost frantically.

"No."

Both Finn and Puck stood at attention, hearing the desperation in his voice.

"No. This isn't right. You can't do this."

Blaine turned to the children's father.

"Why! Why would you do this? They were happy! They were so happy with us! We love them!"

Finn stepped forward, attempting to place a calming hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder, but Blaine brushed it off.

"Please don't do this," he called out to the man who was backing away slowly, preparing to climb into the driver's seat... ready to drive off with his children. He paused, looking at Blaine with a pained expression. It was obvious that he wanted to say something, but just had no clue what.

Kurt closed his eyes, looking as if he was going to be sick.

"Honey. We can't-"

"Please don't take them," Blaine gasped. "Please..."

The children's father swallowed nervously, glancing around at the men surrounding him.

Finn looked off into the distance, knowing it was time for him to intervene.

"You need to go, Mr. Scott. This won't get any easier. Go, and I'll check in with you later."

The young man nodded with a harsh swallow, and ducked into the front seat quickly.

The door slammed shut.

The engine started.

A squealing cry rose from inside the car as Tia realized that the vehicle was leaving, and neither Kurt nor Blaine was with her.

"Tia," Blaine murmured, stepping forward. Kurt gasped a little sob, wrapping his arms around himself, looking as if he was physically trying to hold himself back from following the car too.

The last glimpse they had- was two pairs of green eyes, gazing at them through the back window, full of tears and confusion. Then the dust started to rise as the car pulled away.

Blaine whipped around to his husband, shaking.

"What is wrong with you?"

Finn and Puck looked on in shock.

Kurt's mouth fell open, and he stared at his husband with tortured eyes.

"What?" He whispered.

"You stood there, Kurt!" Blaine shouted. "You just fucking stood there! He just took our children away! We don't know that man! We don't know how he's going to treat them! What if he's worse than their mother was?! God! Why am I the only one who can see this?!"

Kurt shook his head, torn between trying to find a way to respond to his husband, and desperately just wanting to keep his eyes on the car that was pulling down their long drive.

"What would you have me do, Blaine?" He asked in a harsh voice.

"You could have done something," Blaine cried. "You could have fought at least! Like me!"

"And I would have lost," Kurt shouted back, "just like you're losing right now! This is bigger than us, Blaine! We can't win! No matter how much we love them, it's the law!"

"Fuck the law," Blaine said in a dangerously low voice. "You acted like you didn't even care at the end there. You just stood there. You just-"

They all looked up suddenly when they heard a strangled cry from the house. Kurt let out a harsh sob when he saw Brandi run from the front porch. Her eyes were trained on the car that was just preparing to pull out of their long driveway.

He jumped when he realized that she intended to run after the car, but Blaine got to her first. The nurse gently grabbed her thin arms, attempting to pull her to a stop. She was almost crazed by this point though, and she fought him with all her strength.

"NOOOOO," she shrieked, twisting from his hold and even slapping at him when he tried to carefully hold her once again. "No! Why?! Why would you do that?! You promised! You promised you would take care of all of us! You promised you would take care of them! Why would you just give them away to that man?!"

She jerked away from him one last time, stumbling in her haste to get away. She heaved a sharp cry and turned then to Finn.

"You're a liar! You lied! You said we would be safe now! You said! You promised!"

"Brandi," Finn whispered roughly. "I don't... I..."

He didn't even need to try and come up with anything though. She whipped from him as fast she could, and lashed out at Kurt.

"You're all liars!" She screeched. "I should have known I couldn't trust you! I can't trust anyone! I..."

She broke then, sobs wracking her body so hard that she could no longer hold herself upright. Both Kurt and Blaine dashed forward to hold her, but she held out her arms.

"No!" She cried. "No! I don't want you!"

They stopped in their tracks, both sobbing themselves. For the first time ever as parents, they felt completely at a loss.

The rental car pulled down the road and out of sight.

Puck cleared his throat and stepped between them, scooping the girl up into his arms. He turned to Kurt with a questioning look, and the pure brokenness he saw there almost undid him. He turned to the house and walked away wordlessly, with Brandi sobbing brokenly into his shoulder.

Finn moved to stand in between the two husbands, placing a hand on either of their shoulders.

Neither felt a thing.

"Guys, I'm going to take the other kids home. All four of them. I'll take them to mom and dads actually, Kurt. You guys need some time."

Kurt made a tiny head movement that Finn took as a nod, and Blaine spoke without looking at anybody in particular.

"They need us, though. They're all upset, too."

Finn sighed and pulled his brother-in-law into a hug, not letting it faze him when Blaine just stood there stiffly.

"They need support from people who love them, man. Burt, and mom, and Rach and I can do that. You guys need to figure yourselves out first."

Finn pulled away, then leaned over to give his brother a hug, too. Kurt responded a little bit more than Blaine, patting Finn on the back mechanically, whispering a thank you.

Finn backed away, walking toward the house, but paused for a moment.

"You can't let this break you... separately or together. Go ahead and grieve. You need to... but grieve together. Don't let this come between you. You're better than that."

Finns jogged up to the house then, leaving them alone.

Kurt waited in silence. Waited for an apology. Waited to be forgiven himself. Waited for his husband to say absolutely anything. When Blaine continued to stand there, staring at nothing, not saying a word... Kurt nodded in resignation, wiping away his tears.

Then he walked away.

* * *

AN- Just a quick note to say... writing this chapter absolutely broke my heart.

Also, I want to address how quickly the kids are being handed over to the biological parent. I have actually researched this and interviewed experienced social workers. While a situation like this is incredibly rare, it is possible. Even legal unfortunately, depending on your state. No, most judges would not grant something like this. I talked about this issue briefly within the story, but I just wanted to clarify. This is being added in after the fact, so I hope most of you see this. I just got a guest review that made me realize I never specifically addressed this. So, thank you guest reviewer!

PV


	16. Chapter 16

AN- Guh! You guys! My feels!

So, I need you to know that seeing how much I tortured your emotions... oh god it messed with me!

Picture me on the couch, wiping my eyes with a tissue as I read your reviews. My hubby walks into the room.

"Um, V? You okay?"

I fall sideways with an incredibly unladylike snuffle.

"No! I'm crushing people's souls and killing their dreams with my words!"

I can be a tad bit of a drama queen.

This is me officially apologizing for your shattered hearts and spilled tears!

That being said, I actually have zero regrets. There is more to this story than what meets the eye right now, and there are numerous perspectives that I feel strongly about addressing. Angst is not the main emotion I wish to convey, but it is a real one, and heavily involved with situations like this. Also, while shit times in life are just that... shit... they are sometimes entirely necessary. I do not believe in just pretending that the shit times don't exist or can't happen. They stretch us and force us to evolve. We grow. We gain wisdom. We become stronger. We become better people... as long as we allow it.

My characters will allow it. I will force them. Oh, the power of being behind the keyboard ;)

Rest assured, I love these characters as much as you do. Have faith in me. My author's note at the beginning of the last chapter was meant to be foreshadowing in the extreme. Therefore, I will repeat myself, just as a little reminder for those of you who have lost faith as to my goal and desire here...

_The sweetest victories, the happiest endings... they come after a journey filled with the most harrowing obstacles._

Sweet victories and happy endings guys. Hold onto that please.

Love,

PV

* * *

**Monday Evening**

Blaine watched out the window, numb everywhere.

He and Kurt were alone in the house. Puck had taken off only minutes ago, realizing that there was nothing more he could do. Finn and Burt had taken all four kids, just for the evening- so that Blaine and Kurt could talk.

Talk.

They were supposed to be talking, comforting each other.

They weren't. They were in separate rooms.

They hadn't said a word to each other since saying goodbye to the kids, and even then they were just putting on a brave front. Brandi had refused to talk to either of them, climbing into the back of Burt's car with red, swollen eyes. She had clung tightly to Addy when the little girl approached her, and Blaine had been grateful for that at least, both for Brandi's sake and Addy's.

The nurse clenched his jaw, struggling to hold on to the angry bitterness he was feeling. He tried hard to push away the guilt that kept creeping up - guilt that had been building slowly ever since he had lashed out at Kurt in the yard. Guilt that told him he was treating Kurt so unfairly right now.

He just wanted to be angry. Irrationally angry. He could be angry at his husband, because his husband was there. Tangible. It was easy.

Being angry was better than being hurt, right?

And he was so hurt right now. So much so that he just wanted to die. If he gave into the hurt, if he just gave in and let himself be weak... he felt like he would never recover.

Alex had always thought he was so weak. Alex had always...

Blaine's eyes widened as he clutched at the glass pane in front of him.

_What am I doing? What the hell am I doing?!_

This was Kurt, not Alex.

This was Kurt- the kind, loving, accepting, always steady, ever encouraging, continually supportive man he had married.

This was Kurt- the man who was doing his best to hold it all together, despite the fact that he had to be dying inside, same as Blaine. The man who had been craving this huge family for longer than he had even known Blaine.

Kurt- the man he loved. The man he had just treated like shit because he had been so blinded by his own pain.

With a deep groan, he pushed himself away from the window.

It didn't matter if it hurt. It didn't matter if being finally being real about his feelings with Kurt almost killed him.

He needed to apologize. He needed to hold his husband and be held. He needed to give his support even though he felt as if he had nothing to give.

That was what marriage was: 'for better or for worse'. Right now was just the 'for worse'.

* * *

Kurt closed his eyes, leaning up against the wall in Tia's room. He was crouched down on the floor, listlessly running his fingers through the silky hair of her favorite My Little Pony. One they had failed to pack for her to take.

Failed.

He had failed everyone. He couldn't protect Tia and Liam. Brandi hated him. Blaine was angry with him. Even Elly, Addy and Greyson had to be taken away for a bit, because he apparently wasn't able to care for them either.

He had never, in all his life, felt so very alone.

It seemed disturbingly ironic that he should feel this way now, after finally having the big family he had always wanted.

Why did it have to be this way? Why did it have to hurt so fucking much? He felt as if he was breaking apart from the inside out.

He sank down onto the floor completely. The strength and composure he had felt earlier were gone. Now he was weak, vulnerable, and visibly broken. He clutched the stuffed pony to his chest, and rested his head on his knees, silent tears streaking down his face.

"Kurt?"

He jumped when he heard Blaine speak his name from the hall. He sucked in a deep breath, trying to withdraw as far into himself as possible. He knew he couldn't handle any more tension or dissent. He tried to shrink into himself, wanting to feel small... to disappear.

He turned his head away when the door to Tia's room opened.

"Please, Blaine," he whispered. "I know you're mad. I know I didn't do the right things. I can't though... I just can't hear any more..."

He looked up in surprise when he felt Blaine fall down onto his knees, right by his side, with an anguished little huff of breath. Relief, inexplicable relief, flowed through him when Blaine's arms surrounded him.

He didn't hesitate. Not for a second. There was nothing left that he could hide. Nothing left he wanted to hide. He crawled into Blaine's lap, feeling like a child, and started sobbing in relief, just at the feeling of his husband holding him again.

"I'm sorry," he gasped. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry it seems like I don't care sometimes! I don't mean for it to! I care so much, Blaine! I want to die it hurts so much! I-"

"Kurt, no!" Blaine interrupted in a pained voice. "I'm the one who's sorry! I'm so sorry! I was so terrible to you and you didn't deserve it! I'm sorry, baby. Shhhh... It's okay. We're going to be okay. We-"

"It's not okay!" Kurt sobbed, clinging to Blaine. "Our babies are gone! They're gone! It's so unfair! WE took them in! WE nurtured them when they'd been abused! WE are the ones who they call daddy! WE are! US... not absentee father of the year over there! What is wrong with this world, Blaine?! Why would that judge do this?! Why would that man decide to just swoop in once we had fallen in love with them? Why?! It's not fair. It's not okay! It will never be okay!"

Blaine moved to settle himself all the way on the floor, adjusting Kurt carefully in his arms so that he could hold onto his husband a bit better.

The nurse slowly let out a deep breath, trying to calm his own crying. He figured it wouldn't work for them to both be hysterical at the same time.

"Listen to me," Blaine sniffed, holding Kurt's face in his hands and brushing away the tears with his thumbs. "This is what we're going to do. I'm going to stop acting like an ass, thinking that I'm the only one with legit pain, and you're going to stop with the whole 'brave front' where you act like you're fine. We're gonna cry, and talk and just generally feel like shit together. We're gonna say out loud every hurtful thing that comes into our minds, even if we feel selfish and childish for saying them. We're just gonna be a mess together for the rest of the night."

Kurt gulped a ragged breath, nodding with wide eyes. At this point, any type of plan at all was better than what they had been doing previously. He also had to admit that the idea of being so free with his emotions right now sounded amazing. Painful, but just what they both needed.

"Can I add just one thing to that plan of action?" Kurt asked, calming significantly and wiping his eyes with the back of his hands as he stood from where they were huddled.

"What's that?" Blaine asked, standing too when Kurt offered him a hand.

"A drink. Because god I could really use one at the moment and we can be as irresponsible in our pain as we want since we're kid-free."

Blaine actually smiled a little, though it was mixed with a painful grimace, slotting his fingers with Kurt's and leading them from the room.

"I'll pour."

* * *

The first evening of being a real father was not going at all how Bryan Scott had imagined. He had never really been around children before now, so while he was ready and willing, he had no idea what he was doing. Both children had started wailing the moment he had pulled down the road, and that had started off the tone for their entire evening. They would cry inconsolably, and he would desperately try any and every trick he had seen in a family movie with bumbling fathers, hoping to God that something would make his children happy. Obviously his simple presence was not going to do the trick. He had, quite naively, believed that it would.

It had started with them crying for their daddies in the car, which had ripped at his heart in ways he hadn't imagined possible. He had lasted a full two minutes, before pulling off to the side of the road desperately. He turned around in his seat, singing every silly song he could think of from his own childhood. It had consisted of a grand total of two songs, which he repeated about four times. After a few minutes of him singing, accompanied by what he considered to be ridiculous faces and hand motions, they had calmed considerably. They weren't exactly happy, definitely not smiling, but they had at least stopped crying. From the looks they were giving him, he was sure that they thought he was a little bit nuts. He didn't blame them.

The tears had started again not ten minutes later when they passed by a billboard for a local hospital with a smiling, young doctor holding a baby. Apparently the image struck a chord with the children because they had both promptly burst into tears again, crying for daddy.

That time he resorted to bribery, immediately pulling into the nearest McDonalds and ordering two happy meals. With watery eyes and snotty noses, they clutched the cardboard boxes to their chests, watching him warily... but at least they had stopped crying again. It crossed his mind that maybe Tia was too young for this kind of food, and he was suddenly hit with how ill-prepared he was for this. After a moment's hesitation, he took away the chicken nuggets, offering her just the fries. He breathed a sigh of relief when she started gumming contentedly on the fried food without choking.

The crying had started again the moment he had parked his car at the apartment complex. Liam had started wailing that he just wanted to go home as soon as he saw that this wasn't 'his home'. Bryan was sure at this point that his heart couldn't take much more.

It had been twenty-five minutes.

The next challenge had been taking all of the childrens' things inside. An odd tightness filled his chest when he saw, yet again, all of the bags given to him by the Hummels. They had been more generous than he had a right to expect. Particularly the man named Kurt, though his husband's reticence clearly came from his devastation at losing the children, not a desire to just be unfriendly. Bryan was smart enough to see that.

He stood at the side of his car, feeling at a complete loss as to how he was supposed to carry all of this inside, along with the two young children, and never leave them alone. They were sobbing uncontrollably once more, to his extreme embarrassment, he realized that he wasn't far behind.

That was when Finn had shown up.

He had to give the social worker a lot of credit. He knew very well that the over-sized man was less than happy with how things had turned out, but once the decision had been made, he had been nothing but professional and helpful. He had been a solid and in-control presence at the exchange, and was helpful and even comforting once he had shown up at Bryan's apartment.

Finn had offered to carry in the bags while Bryan carried the kids up to his apartment, and then stayed for a while, offering suggestions and even reassuring Bryan that he would be fine, that it would just take time.

After a bit, the kids finally started to settle. Bryan tried incredibly hard to not let it bother him that Tia and Liam were obviously much comfortable with 'Unca Finn' than him. He wondered briefly is this was a conflict of interest, but the kids were so comforted by the tall man's presence that he would be damned if he took that away. God knows he had already ruined their lives enough. First all those months spent living with an abusive mother, now he had jerked them away from, who he now considered to be, the world's most perfect parents. A sick feeling kept creeping into Bryan's gut when he considered the whole situation, but he pushed it aside. As horrible as this was, he was the children's father. There was no one better to raise a child than their own parent.

Before leaving for the evening, Finn had given him a multitude of pamphlets and information. Some were for local organizations and support groups that offered help for parents in his situation. A couple were for organizations located in Nevada, for when Bryan finally headed home, along with a couple names and numbers Finn had looked up.

Bryan had held the information in his hand, staring at it in relieved disbelief, before looking up to Finn and speaking carefully.

"Thank you. I know you hate me. I know you don't think I'm doing the right thing here, but you haven't let it affect your work at all. I appreciate it. I have a lot of respect for you."

Finn stared back evenly, almost disconcertingly, before answering long seconds later.

"How I feel about you personally has nothing to do with this. My job, my desire, is to see these kids happy and healthy and, if possible, loved. I will do anything within my power to make that happen, and right now that means setting you up for success, so I will do so."

Bryan swallowed roughly and looked down at his lap, knowing that the other man's words were a true show of his character. They stung like a bitch though. He looked up when Finn sighed heavily.

"Look, I may not have liked how this went down," Finn said carefully, "but my job now is to see you succeed, and believe it or not, I genuinely want that. If I couldn't see my way around my emotions I would be in the wrong profession."

Bryan nodded gratefully, smiling a bit. Finn smiled back, though it was obvious that it was a bit forced. As the social worker turned to leave, Bryan spoke softly at the door.

"It is possible you know. I do love them. That's why I'm doing this. They're my kids. I love them."

Finn stopped in his tracks, peering back through the tiny apartment to peek at the kids snuggled up in the second bedroom under Sesame Street blankets that had obviously been purchased especially for the kids that afternoon. He let out a heavy breath before heading back out the door.

"I really do believe you," he responded with a serious expression. "I do."

* * *

**Monday Night**

"So," Kurt asked in a low voice as he played with the half empty shot glass between his fingers. "What next?"

Blaine sighed heavily, pushing his own partially filled glass aside. They really didn't drink together that often, mostly because they had been fathers since the day they met. The few times they had gotten drunk together, it had been a fun, light-hearted thing, where they did it purely for the experience of doing something fun and a little crazy. They had never gotten drunk out of desperation to not feel anything, and to be honest, it was kind of making things worse.

Really, they had barely drunk anything even now. Just a few sips here and there as they tried to talk everything out. They were slightly buzzed, mostly numb, and really... just plain depressed- even more so than they already had been. He couldn't help thinking deep down that they should have known better, that this wouldn't really help. Even just from the basest fact that they were two medical professional who knew perfectly well that alcohol is, in fact, a depressant.

He pushed both of their glasses back completely, and slid down from his barstool, pulling Kurt into his arms. The doctor sighed heavily, wrapping his arms around Blaine's waist and leaning into him.

"I guess that was a stupid idea. Drinking to feel better just isn't us, huh?"

"Guess not," Blaine sighed.

They were silent then, and just stood there, considering everything they had discussed over the last couple of hours.

They had talked the crap out of everything. How they felt. How angry they were. How heart-broken they were. How devastated they were for Brandi's sake. Was there any possible way to fight this... ending with them both realizing that there really wasn't. They discussed trying to work something out with the father so that they could visit, for Brandi's sake more than anything. Even that plan had them feeling unsure though. Would seeing Tia and Liam further, beyond the initial transitionary visits being planned before they left town, be in the best interest of the kids? As tragic as this was, they couldn't imagine that continually exposing Tia and Liam to their presence could be a healthy thing, especially when the children missed them so much. It seemed along the lines of waving a cookie in front of their faces and then snatching it away again.

They had finally come to the decision that they would sit down with both Finn and Nick in the next couple of days to try and sort some of these thoughts out. Get some perspective.

Now they were just standing there, feeling achy and empty and just agonizingly crushed... with no tangible way of fixing anything.

Eventually, Kurt pulled back and grasped Blaine's shirt lightly with both hands, then leaned in for a kiss. Blaine let himself be drawn in, somewhat half-heartedly, but pulled back after a couple of light little pecks. Kurt shook his head quickly, a rush of breath leaving his mouth and nose.

"No, don't do this. Don't pull away."

Blaine looked at Kurt in surprise. They had both pretty much cried themselves out after the first hour or so of talking, and had turned fairly stoic and solemn.

Now, though, Kurt's voice was tight, as if he was trying to hold back more tears.

"Kurt, I-I'm not trying to pull away, I just-"

"No!" Kurt snapped, causing the nurse to jump a little in surprise. "This is exactly what Finn was talking about! Well, maybe not exactly because I'm pretty sure he's tried very hard to NOT picture his brother having sex. I know I try hard not to, but this is what he was talking about!"

Blaine felt some tears build in his eyes again, hating to see Kurt this distraught. At the same time he was laughing a bit at the comment about Finn not wanting to picture them having sex. It always amazed him how, when he was upset, every emotion possible seemed to rise to the surface and mix together in a jumbled haze that made him feel a bit crazy. His laugh was a bit like a choked cry, which caused the doctor to let out a similar laugh of his own.

"Look, Blaine," Kurt sighed, rubbing his hands up and down his husband's arms and pulling him in again. "Finn said this to us before he left. He said that we can't allow this to come between us. He sees things like this every day. I know he does. He's talked to me about different stories over the years, stories of the stress becoming too much for couples, and they end up fighting, and they split up because they never talk or are physically close anymore, and that can't happen to us because we're better than that!"

Blaine just watched as Kurt started rambling, becoming a little more intense and high-strung with each word.

"Kurt-"

"I'm not talking about sex," Kurt rushed on, barely realizing that Blaine had spoken, "okay, well, I am, but not in the sense that I normally do. It's just, for us, this is a way in which we really connect with each other, and very regularly might I add. I feel so... lost right now... and I just need to connect with my husband! I need to feel close to you! I need to BE close to you. I need to feel something normal and I need to know that we're going to be-"

He stopped talking when Blaine grabbed his hand and yanked him toward the bedroom without a word.

* * *

They still hadn't said a word to each other.

No exclamations of how good it felt, or even discussions what they wanted.

There weren't even any 'I love yous'. They really weren't necessary.

The intensity of this moment was beyond all of those normal things. Kurt had meant it- and had been completely right, when he had said that, ultimately, it wasn't about the actual sex right now.

It was about the connection... and they had honestly never felt so connected. For both of them, every emotion was on the surface. Every emotion was so bright and vivid. While their grief was vast and even physically painful, so was their contentment in the fact that they could find such comfort in their intimacy.

Their eyes locked as Blaine pressed down heavily onto Kurt's chest, sliding his hands up his husband's arms until their fingers met and threaded together on the pillow under Kurt's head. Kurt lifted his head slightly, meeting Blaine's lips and gasping softly as the nurse finally thrust forward completely.

His eyes closed for just a moment, sinking into the feeling of being completely joined together with his husband. This was exactly what he needed right now, and he knew the same was true of Blaine.

Their gaze met again, and held, while they moved together.

Breathing in, as the other breathed out.

Slow, steady, perfectly in time with each other.

It was the calmest and most articulated they had ever been together. It was also the most overwhelmingly intense.

They took their time, knowing that for once, it truly wasn't about the culmination. It was about everything leading up to it. It was about how incredibly close they were, body and spirit. The unity they were creating.

In those moments, they were both overpowered by the knowledge that no matter what happened, no matter how bad things got, they would make it through.

They would succeed, because they were in this together.

* * *

"Honey, what can I do for you?"

Brandi stiffened and burrowed her face down into her pillow. She knew that Grandma Carole meant well, but she just wasn't in the mood to be comforted. She scooted over as far as she could possibly get when she felt some pressure on the side of the bed. Her eyes squeezed shut when a hand started stroking her hair.

_Please stop trying to make me feel better!_

She narrowed her eyes and whispered roughly.

"You'd better not try to say things like it's gonna be okay. I know better."

There was silence for a moment as Carole continued to stroke her hair, then the smooth, comforting voice of a mother.

"I wouldn't dream of it, sweetie."

Brandi furrowed her brow, not entirely sure if she was more surprised or more annoyed with that answer. Surprised, because Grandma Carole's first instinct was to comfort and reassure. Annoyed, because the stark realness of the answer was dangerously close to breaking down her carefully built walls. The teen gulped back the tears that we building once again in her chest and burning the backs of her eyes.

"It's not fair, Grandma."

"No, it's not. Nothing has ever been more unfair."

"I'm angry."

"I know. You have every right to be."

"I hate that stupid judge."

"I know."

"I hate that stupid man."

"I know."

"He's not a real dad."

"Well, he definitely hasn't been up until this point. You're right."

"I hate all of our real parents!"

"I know. I don't blame you."

Brandi paused for a moment. Her breathing was thick and shallow as she fought to hold back more tears. She was so sick of crying. She almost stopped herself from saying what came next, but she couldn't help it. It felt so cathartic to just get it all out. It was almost a bit of a test actually, though she wasn't thinking logically enough to realize that that was what she was doing. Would they still love her, would they still want her... no matter what she said or did?

"I hate dads."

The room was quiet for several long seconds, but the gentle strokes on her hair did not stop or even slow.

"Why is that, punkin?"

"Because they let them take my brother and sister away!" She snapped harshly, choking a bit on the cries she was holding in. "Because they promised they would take care of all three of us! They promised! They lied to me! They lied to Tia and Liam!"

"Did they really lie, sweetness? Did they say they wanted to keep you all, without intending to do so?"

Brandi wanted to lash out. She wanted to continue being irrational, because it felt better than the soul-killing sadness. She wanted to, but she couldn't. Carole's voice was so soft and loving... so very non-judgmental. She wasn't criticizing. She was gently nudging Brandi to open her mind.

Slowly, slightly, Brandi shook her head no.

"They were told they would be able to keep Tia and Liam. They honestly believed it could happen. Believe me when I say that their pain about disappointing you is second only to their pain of losing them."

Brandi didn't answer, but she was starting to shake a bit with the effort of continually holding back the sobs that just wanted to break free.

"I'm still angry," she whispered.

"I know," Carole answered quietly. "I know. You should be. Everything about this is terrible. There's no plus side or silver lining that I'm going to try to convince you of."

Brandi's resolve was pretty much gone by then, and tracks of tears were making their way to her pillow.

"Just remember," Carole went on, "when you're ready, those two fathers of yours love you more than life itself. They may not be able to fix everything, and life sure as heck won't be perfect, but it's a whole lot easier to handle when you have people to surround you and love you. You went without that for so long. But now? Now you have it in abundance."

That's what finally did Brandi in. She knew this was true. For the first time in her life she actually had real parental support and love. It was so foreign to her that she didn't know how to respond. She had known deep down that none of this was the Hummel's fault, but it had been so easy to blame them, because they had been right there to take it.

She had also been struggling, since day one, with the feeling that she was so incredibly undeserving of their love. When she had completely lost it earlier today, and lashed out at them with everything she had, a tiny voice had told her she was doing the right thing. She was going to lose them eventually. Nothing good was ever a permanent fixture in her life. At least she had gone ahead and given them a reason to dismiss her. In a twisted way it had been a relief.

Now, though... now she was terrified that it had actually worked.

She buried her face down into her pillow, and cried.

"Are they gonna be mad at me that I was so mean? Do you think that they aren't gonna want me anymore?"

"Oh, honey!" Carole laughed, but it wasn't in a mocking way, just in a loving 'don't be ridiculous way'. "If you had any idea how unconditionally they love you, you wouldn't even dream of questioning them. No, punkin. They are absolutely not mad at you. I can guarantee it. And yes, they will always, always, always want you. Always. Nothing you do could ever change that."

Brandi shifted around so that she was looking Carole in the eyes, and the older woman gently wiped away some of the tears with a sad smile.

The teen let out a shattered little breath and slowly reached out to take Carole's hand as she contemplated what she was just told.

Unconditional love was still such a foreign concept. She wasn't entirely sure that she believed in it. One thing was for sure though; the longer she was with the Hummel's, the closer she came. Even in moments like these. Especially in moments like these.

She squirmed uncertainly for a moment, knowing what she wanted next, but not sure if she had the right to ask. Carole watched her knowingly and smoothed back her hair.

"What is it, honey? What do you need?"

Brandi blew a little breath from the corner of her mouth, trying to clear her nerves.

"Can I, maybe, if you don't care... text them? Dads, I mean."

She looked up at Carole nervously, and felt relief wash over her when her Grandma immediately grinned and pulled her phone from her pocket, handing it over without a word.

The teen bit her lip nervously and started pressing the buttons with shaky fingers. She had to fight every learned instinct- screaming in her ear- that she shouldn't do this.

_Don't reach out. You'll just be rejected. How could they possibly still love you after you treated them that way?_

With a sick little flip-flop of her stomach, she pressed send...

* * *

Kurt was lying between Blaine's legs, head resting on his chest, mindlessly running his fingers up and down his husband's arm. Blaine had his arms looped around Kurt loosely, pressing lazy kiss after kiss to the doctor's hair.

They were in a state of numb calmness. Yes, they felt reassured of their love for each other, and of their renewed solidarity. There was, unfortunately, no assurance of anything else. Tia and Liam were gone, soon for good, and Brandi was still angry with them, hated them.

They knew that this would pass, somehow they would get past this... but it was so heartbreaking in the midst.

Kurt looked up with a racing heart when his phone sent an alert, and quickly scrambled to the side of the bed to snatch it up. He wasn't even sure what he was hoping to see, just that any news coming in right now felt like it had to be monumentally important.

A surge of happiness shot through him when he read what was flashing across his screen.

"Blaine," his voice cracked just a bit. "You need to see this."

He scooted back up so that he was back between Blaine's legs, resting against his husband's chest, cheeks pressed together as he held the phone out for the nurse to read.

"Oh my god," Blaine gasped. "Oh, Kurt!"

_~Hi daddies. It's Brandi. I'm sorry I said all those things. I didn't mean them. Are you mad at me?~_

They both choked back happy little sobs as Kurt rushed to reply. He glanced back at Blaine for approval before sending the text, and received a quick nod of compliance as Blaine kissed his cheek...

* * *

Brandi was worrying her bottom lip anxiously, holding the phone tightly in her hand when it beeped. She sniffed and looked up at Carole with a watery smile, showing her the message.

_~Never, punkin! Never, ever, ever! There's nothing to forgive. Daddy and I love you so very much. Always. Are you okay?~_

She thought for a moment, and then sent back a quick message.

_~Not really, but I know that you aren't either. I love you too.~_

It was barely two seconds before she got a response.

_~You're pretty special, you know that? We'll see you tomorrow. Xoxo, Daddies~_

She smiled softly, handing the phone back to her Grandma and sinking back into her pillow. Carole tucked the blanket in around her, and kissed her head before moving toward the door. Brandi was just closing her eyes, when Carole spoke one last parting comment.

"You know, sweetie. I don't want to interfere, and you should definitely talk to your dads about this, but you are still Tia and Liam's sister. We can look into making sure that you can still visit them."

Brandi's eyes widened and she slowly sat up in bed. Carole looked at her evenly and went on.

"You have been put in the position of having little to no control of your circumstances for so much of your life. That's not the case any more... at all. Now, there is obviously nothing we can do about the custody, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are being taken away from you completely. Believe me when I say that your dads will do anything and everything they can to help, and every single person in this extended family will help and support you.

Carole sent her a little wink and left the room.

Brandi didn't sleep for quite a while. She suddenly had a lot to think about.

* * *

**Late Monday Night**

Bryan paced the floor of the small bedroom with a crying Tia. He glanced at his watch. 2:30am.

"What, honey? What do you want? What do you need?" He asked the baby in an anxious voice. He glanced down to the small toddler bed where Liam was sitting up, looking tired, confused, and anxious himself.

"What do you think she needs, Liam?" He asked carefully. He felt beyond ridiculous asking a two-year-old for help, but at this point the toddler probably had a better idea than he did.

Liam watched him curiously for a moment. The small boy was obviously still trying to figure out how he felt about this situation, but Bryan felt he was at least coming around to realizing he wasn't a bad guy. After a few seconds, Liam shrugged his shoulders in a tired motion.

"Tia wan's daddies."

Bryan nodded slowly, choking back a little cry at how insurmountable this path suddenly seemed. He gave Liam what he hoped was a genuine smile and did his best at tucking the child in, though he was quite positive that Doctor and Mr. Perfect would have done it ten times better.

He took Tia into the tiny living room and continued his pacing.

* * *

**Tuesday Morning**

"Hey, Grandpa."

Burt looked up from his newspaper, surprised to see Brandi standing in front of him. She had been hiding out in Kurt's old room all morning, and they had been giving her her space, knowing she needed time to sort out how she felt. As surprised as he was that she was showing her face to the rest of the world, he was even more surprised at her expression.

Her eyes were a bit puffy and red still, but other than that, she looked very... determined.

"Hey, punkin. Morning... or, err, almost afternoon I guess. Grandma Carole's outside with all the kids."

Brandi nodded distractedly and sat down at the table next to him. She pulled a page from the section of newspaper that he wasn't reading, and fiddled with it in her hands.

"Did Addy and Elly go to school?"

Burt shook his head with a smile.

"No, Grandma Carole figured they could use a break. They're playing out in the snow with the rest of the kids."

"Where is Gres?"

Burt sighed, seeing that she was on task as her role of protective older sister. This was something she slipped into pretty easily already, and the trauma of last night had definitely magnified it.

"He's sleeping in the pack-n-play. Brandi, are you doing okay? Is there anything I can do for you?"

She shrugged, careful to not display any emotion. Burt reached out to take her hand, and she looked at him in surprise. While they had always gotten along well, even to the point where she normally joined in with the rest of the kids in calling him Grandpa, they hadn't gotten to this place of closeness.

"Look," he said a little awkwardly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck with his free hand. "I'm not all feely and stuff. I was never good with the emotional things, just ask your dad... but sweetheart, you just need to know that I love you same as any of my other grandkids. I couldn't be happier that you're gonna be an official part of our family..."

He trailed off when her face fell.

"Aww, shit. I couldn't have brought that up at a worse time, huh?"

He paled then, realizing he had sworn. She looked at him in shock, before completely surprising herself and giggling. It really had been the perfect thing to break the ice.

"Uh, just don't tell your dads that I said that in front of you."

She nodded with a little smile.

"Anyway," he went on, rolling his eyes at himself. "That was my screwed up way of saying that I'll be there for you, kid. Whatever you need."

Her smile faded and she gave him a look as if she were evaluating him. She gave one sharp little nod, before speaking quickly, afraid she would change her mind.

"I need to make a phone call. I need to call Uncle Nick."

Burt's eyebrows rose.

"Can you tell me why?"

"It's confidential."

He used every ounce of his self control to not burst into laughter at her crisp tone, knowing that that would be the worst possible thing he could do. He considered the situation for a moment, and then shrugged, figuring that if she was going to be secretive, there was no one they could trust more than Nick.

He handed her his phone and pointed to Carole's office.

"Go ahead, sweetheart. You've only got about half an hour though. Grandma is gonna feed everyone lunch and then I'm going to take all four of you home. Your dads want you back."

The excitement that leapt into her eyes was completely unexpected to him, and after she had snatched his phone, given him a hug, and skipped off to Carole's office, he wondered briefly if he had helped to start something he would regret.

* * *

"Oh my god, you are such a boy!"

Nick grinned wickedly at his husband as he took another enormous bite out of his messy cheeseburger. Jeff rolled his eyes, reaching out with a napkin to wipe the cheese dripping from the lawyer's chin. Nick was just trying to figure out how to set his sandwich down without it completely falling apart- when his phone rang. He looked at Jeff with questioning eyes, motioning with his grease covered fingers.

Jeff chuckled and reached across the table to grab the phone from Nick's pocket.

"Hello? This is Jeff. Nick would be answering but he's too busy eating like a middle school child."

Nick narrowed his eyes as he quickly dampened some napkins from his water glass to wipe his hands. Jeff immediately stopped grinning though when he heard the voice on the other end.

_"Um, h-hi Uncle Jeff. It's Brandi. I-I thought I was calling Uncle Nick's phone. I'm sorry I bugged you, I-"_

Jeff's eyes widened. Brandi had barely gotten over the intense nervousness that came on every time she was around adults other than her fathers or Finn, let alone call them on the phone. She actually hadn't even referred to them as uncles before, though it made sense since all of the other kids did.

"No, sweetie. You're not bugging me, and you did call Uncle Nick's phone. We're at lunch together."

_"O-oh. Okay."_

"Honey, are you alright?"

Jeff quickly shook his head when Nick gave him an inquisitive look, and held up a finger.

_"Um, yeah, I guess. Can I maybe talk to Uncle Nick... i-if that's okay?"_

"Sure, honey. Of course. Just a second, okay?"

Nick had finished cleaning his hands by then and held one out curiously when Jeff handed him the phone.

"Who is it?" Nick mouthed.

Jeff just made a motion for Nick to answer, and the lawyer did so with an exaggerated sigh.

"Hello?"

_"Hi, Uncle Nick. It's... it's Brandi."_

Nick's eyebrows shot up halfway on his forehead and Jeff gave him a look that clearly said, 'I know, right?"

"Hi, honey. How are you doing with everything? I'm so, so very sorry," he finished softly.

There was a heavy silence for a moment.

_"Thank you, Uncle Nick. I, um, I actually called you on business though."_

If Nick thought he'd been surprised before, just at the fact that he'd called him, he was blown out of the water now.

"Okay, can you tell me about what specifically?"

_"First I need to know some things."_

"Sure," he responded slowly. "What sort of things do you need to know?"

_"I want to hire you, but I don't have any money. Can I pay you in babysitting? Elise really likes me and I'm really good with kids."_

"Sweetheart, if you actually do need me for something, your dads would pay for it. I know they wo-"

_"I don't want dads to pay for it. They buy me so much. I want to do this myself."_

Nick sagged a bit against the back of his chair. He knew a bit from the things that Kurt and Blaine had told him how amazing this girl was, but this was his first real experience with her.

"Brandi, if you need me for something, you don't need to worry about the payment. Uncle Jeff and I are more than happy to-"

_"No! I-I mean. That's really nice, Uncle Nick. It means a lot... but, if I'm going to do this I want to pay you. If babysitting won't work then I'll find another way."_

Nick chewed the inside of his lip for a second, contemplating.

"Well, Brandi. I do a certain amount of work each year that is something called 'pro bono', which basically means that I do it for free. I would be happy to do this kind of work for you, should it turn out that you require my services. However, if you would like to babysit sometime for Uncle Jeff and I, just because you want to do something nice for us in return, we would absolutely love it. How does that sound?"

There was a moment of silence, and he could practically hear her contemplation over the phone. Nick ignored the questioning look Jeff was trying to shoot at him.

_"Deal."_

"Okay. What else did you need to know?"

_"If I hire you, I'll have attorney-client privilege, right?"_

Nick looked at Jeff incredulously, and the blonde bounced irritably in his seat, frustrated at not hearing whatever the news was firsthand.

"Absolutely."

_"Good. I looked it up on Grandma's computer. That means you can't tell dads what I tell you."_

Nick hesitated.

"You're right. That's exactly what it means. Why don't you want Kurt and Blaine to know though?"

_"I just... I want to talk to you first. They have enough to worry about. I don't want to give them something else to stress about."_

Nick had to hold back the comment that knowing your child is hiding something is more stressful on a parent than just knowing whatever the news was.

"Well, yes then. It would absolutely be just between us. Whatever you have to say. Just know that my advice as Uncle Nick, not as attorney at law, is to talk to your dads. They only ever want the best for you. Okay?"

_"I know. I will. Just, not until I know some things."_

"I can go along with that. So, what can I help you with?"

Nick waited and listened to her suck in a deep breath before speaking.

_"Okay, here's what I want to know..."_

* * *

**Tuesday Afternoon**

"Honey, they're here!"

Kurt ducked out the front door before Blaine even had a chance to respond, skipping down the steps as Burt's car pulled up the drive. Blaine was seconds behind him, ready and waiting once the car pulled to a stop in front of the house.

Addy rushed out of the car first, diving immediately into Kurt's arms and asking him if Tia and Liam's daddy had changed his mind and given them her brother and sister back. He sighed heavily, picking her up and holding her close before answering.

He was actually pretty proud of how calm and reassuring his response was, and knew without a doubt that the reason for his composure was Blaine's steady hand on his waist.

He gently explained that things hadn't changed, and that they weren't likely to. She nodded dejectedly, then threw her arms around his neck, telling him that she would give him and daddy the 'biggest, bestest' hugs in the world whenever they were sad.

Kurt just hugged her back, thinking that there probably wasn't a better cure in the world.

Elliott came cautiously from the car next, eyeing his fathers with a discerning eye. Blaine knelt down; arms open wide with a soft smile. Elliott smiled back and jumped into the open arms. Neither said a word, but Elly's sigh of contentment was enough for Blaine to know that he was going to be okay.

Burt called for Addy and Elly to grab their bags from the car, and they quickly ran to obey.

Brandi came next, stepping up toward Kurt and Blaine timidly, eyes downcast. She glanced up, the turmoil she was feeling almost tangible. They stepped toward her in the same moment, yanking her into their arms between them. She latched onto them immediately, physically sagging in relief and letting out a small broken sob. They stayed that way for a few minutes, each just feeling relieved that they were still loved by the others.

"I'm sorry," Brandi finally whispered.

"So are we," Blaine whispered back.

All three knew that they weren't really apologizing for anything said or done, just for the fact that life wasn't as it should be.

She pulled back after a moment, sending them a look that told them, if nothing else, she was still so grateful that she had them in her life, before turning to the house.

Burt approached last, with a fussing Greyson. Blaine gave his father-in-law a quick hug before taking the whimpering baby into his arms. The nurse automatically sang and rocked as he took their youngest inside and out of the cold, and Greyson immediately relaxed with small contented sighs.

Father and son stood there for a moment, neither knowing exactly what to say. Burt blinked away some tears, seeing clearly the pain and exhaustion in his son's eyes. With a sharp shake of his head, he stepped forward and pulled Kurt into an embrace.

"You okay, kid?"

Kurt sighed and shook his head, resting on his dad's shoulder.

"No."

Burt nodded, holding his son closer.

"You gonna be?"

Kurt smiled then, sadly, but genuinely.

"Yes. In time. Yes."

* * *

"Daddy does it better."

Bryan stiffened, working hard to not react. He had heard this sentence no less than fifty times since the previous evening.

When he put their pajamas on. Daddies made it so the buttons matched up.

When he brushed their hair. It didn't hurt when daddies did it.

When he read them a story... something about how "the stuffed animals should be talking".

When he tucked them in. Daddies made them a "little baby burrito" in their blankets. Bryan had no idea what that meant.

When he made them breakfast. Daddies made the food go into their mouths like an airplane.

When he fixed Tia's hair. Daddies used bows.

When he asked them to pick up their toys. Daddies sang a little song about cleaning up so it was fun.

The list just went on.

Apparently 'daddies' were Mr. Rogers incarnate.

Bryan put on the most genuine smile he could muster, still attempting to fasten the buckles on Tia's overalls. He wasn't successful.

"Well, Liam. This daddy is still learning, okay? I'm gonna try hard to do things just as good."

When Liam shot him a look that clearly said he didn't believe Bryan was capable, quite a feat for a two-year-old, he slumped against the back of the couch. Tia pushed away from him, sliding down onto the floor and out of her pants.

Bryan watched them both crawl into a corner together, as far from him as possible, then turn and watch him distrustfully.

A cold feeling crept into his chest. He had failed them by not being around when they were born. He had failed them by not rescuing them from their abusive mother. What if now, in trying desperately to right his wrongs, he had failed them again?


	17. Chapter 17

AN- Long-ass author's note...

I have been horribly remiss, because I have not thanked my lovely beta in the last two chapters. Poor girl. She had no warning whatsoever about the impending angst, just like you. She was up in the middle of the night, editing my mistakes while I ripped her heart out. She deserves insane amounts of kudos! Luv ya, gottriplets!

I've had a few people ask me now about the quote that I put in my author's notes for the last two chapters- where it came from and why I didn't credit it. Um, that's because it wasn't a quote, per say. It wasn't said by anyone special at least, it was just me, trying to make a point ;) I actually looked for a real quote that would mean something, but nothing I found quite fit. So, there you go...

Next, the lovely Parmelde Lorntiere did me the incredible honor of writing her own one-shot from my AFS 'verse! It's called "Stitches" and is posted here on FF. It is just the sweetest thing, written from my little AU in her own adorable style. You must check it out and give her lots of love :)

In this chapter, there is going to be a letter, written by Elliott. This letter is legit from a real, live first grader. It is based off of the wording and spelling of my seven-year-old. My son, who is entirely my inspiration for Elliott, in fact. For those of you who love our Elly, thanks :) That's my precious kiddo!

Finally, with the insanity of writing numerous multi-chapter fics, I have completely lost the ability to respond to all of your reviews separately. I've tried hard to answer specific questions, and have connected with many of you on Tumblr or Facebook, but I wanted to take a moment and let you all know how very much I appreciate you. All of you. You're freaking fabulous!

Much Love,

PV

* * *

**Wednesday Morning**

Addy and Elliott were crouched down together in front of the coffee table in the living room. It was a little after five in the morning, long before everyone else in the house would be up- though ever since Greyson had come home that schedule was slightly less predictable. Elliott was leaning over a piece of paper from one of Daddy Kurt's legal pads, writing with heavy concentration as the tip of his tongue poked from the corner of his mouth. Addy was kneeling next to him, sucking on her thumb and twisting one of her long curls absentmindedly while she watched her brother. After a few moments, she leaned over impatiently.

"Wazzishay?"

"I can't understand you, Addy."

She popped her thumb out of her mouth, wiping it on her nightgown, and making a face at the small string of saliva that wouldn't disconnect.

"What's it say?"

"Dear Santa."

"That's all you got? Write faster, Elly! Everyone else'll be awake soon and it's supposed to be a secret!"

Elly sighed patiently as he continued to work.

"If you can write faster than me, then you go ahead and do it."

"You know you write words better than me, E. Miss Ashley says my words aren't eligible."

"Then be patient with me... and I think she meant legible. 'N you just have to keep practicing, A. You'll be great at writing words someday."

Addy sighed and leaned against her brother's shoulder.

"Thanks. You're the best brother ever."

"Not really, I just love you, Addy."

"Yes really, and I love you, too."

There was silence for a moment as Elly continued to work.

"Now what do you have?"

Elliott resisted rolling his eyes.

"Why don't you just read it?"

"Fiiiine," she sighed in exaggeration. "Dear... San... ta... we... have... been... ve-ve-ve-"

"Very."

"I was getting there! Now it's your turn to be patient!"

"Sorry, A."

Addy humphed, but smiled when Elliott kissed her cheek.

"Forgiven. *ahem* Very... even though I woulda figured it out all by myself... good. Um, have we?"

"Have we what?"

"Have we been good?"

"I dunno about you, but I think I've been decently good."

Addy slumped to the floor, wringing the hem of her nightgown in distress.

"It's easier for you! You're good just anatomically!"

"Automatically."

"Stop fixing all my words! You knew what I meant!"

Elliott blushed and grimaced.

"Sorry."

Addy just gave him a look of irritation before storming on.

"I don't mean to be naughty, but sometimes it just slips out of me! I get all full of jumpy, happy feelings and I can't help it! I do stuff without thinkin'!"

"Like what?"

"'Member when I broke Daddy K's mug when I was dancing? 'Member when I was skipping and holding Daddy B's hand and I got too 'cited and I pulled us both down in the mud? 'Member when I dropped Mr. Hoppy in the house and almost made it so Squishy didn't give us our Nugget?"

Elliott scratched his head with a wrinkled nose.

"That doesn't sound naughty to me, Addy. That just sounds clumsy. I don't think Santa puts you on the naughty list for being clumsy."

"I'm not clumsy!"

Elliott cocked his head to the side and gave his sister a look that said, 'Really? Really?'

Addy huffed again and crossed her arms.

"Fine. I'm clumsy."

Elliott sagged a bit, seeing how distressed she was.

"Hey. You're not clumsy. You juuuust... you need to work on your balance a little."

Addy looked at him cautiously.

"You think so?"

"Sure!"

"Thanks, El! Well, if you really think I haven't been naughty..."

"You haven't been, Addy. When you did all those things you were happy, and just having fun, and bein' a kid. Daddies always tell us that it's our job to just be kids. How could that be called naughty?"

Addy considered this for a moment before brightening considerably.

"You're right! Okay, let's move on."

"K, what do we want it to say? Should it just say exactly what we talked about last night at Grandma and Grandpa's?"

Addy nodded carefully.

"Yeah, I think so. Just use the word please a lot. We're askin' for a super, duper big present, and if we don't say please lots of times we might sound greedy."

Elliott nodded quickly in agreement, then bent over the paper once more, tongue sticking out again in concentration. After a few minutes, wherein Addy kept leaning over the paper impatiently and Elly would gently elbow her back, he sat back with a satisfied sigh.

"Waddaya think?"

Addy looked it over now with an uninterrupted and critical eye.

"Perfect."

Elliott chewed his lip nervously.

"Do you think this is something Santa can actually do, A?"

"Santa's magic, Elliott!" Addy exclaimed with a roll of her eyes. "He can do anything!"

Elliott squirmed for a moment. He was such an irrevocably logical child. Believing in anything that wasn't right in front of his face was incredibly difficult for him. Addy's automatic belief and delight in anything magical or miraculous had never failed to boggle his mind, and even though he was trying desperately to hold onto his own belief of Santa, it wasn't easy. There was just too much evidence to the contrary. For the past two Christmases he had been growing more and more suspicious that it was all a farce.

This year though... this year he wanted his Christmas wish to come true so desperately. He was willing to suspend his disbelief, and ask the man, whose very existence he was doubtful of, for the one thing that his heart desired. The one thing that he knew no normal person on this Earth could give him.

He was willing to ask, and he was willing to try, but he was still struggling. It just didn't make sense to his overly-logical brain.

"Elliott?"

He stopped his uncomfortable squirming when Addy took his hands in hers, and looked up in surprise when she leaned in so that they were nose-to-nose.

"I can see your brain workin'. Like Daddy B says, smoke is gonna come out of your ears if you don't stop it."

Elliott grinned a little. Daddy Blaine always said that about him and Daddy Kurt when they would over-think things.

"Stop thinkin' so much, E. Just believe in Santa. He can do this."

Addy sat back a bit with a bright smile, but Elliott just looked at her uncertainly.

"Why is it so easy for you, Addy? Don't you find it hard to believe? For real, how can one man make Christmas happen for every single kid in the entire world? Don't you wonder about how he does it?"

Addy smirked and leaned back on her palms.

"This is one thing that I am smarter at than you, so listen up."

Elliott smirked back, but nodded good-naturedly. Addy wasn't lying. She was definitely better than him when it came to stuff like this. Adelaide leaned forward again, taking Elliott's face gently between her hands.

"That's not the point of magic stuff, E. You can't understand it in your brain. You just hafta believe."

"But-"

"Nope."

Elliott sighed.

"Addy-"

"Nope."

"Adelaide! I just think-"

"Stop thinkin'."

They stared at each other. Elliott was glaring at his sister in exasperation, but she was just gazing back contentedly, a slightly smug smile on her face.

After a moment, Elliott's irritation broke, and he just stared at his sister in wonder. There was such peacefulness in her expression. There was such joy there.

Maybe, just maybe, he could truly suspend his disbelief. Things sure looked a lot more enjoyable from Addy's point of view.

At the very least, he could try. This Christmas wish would be worth it.

"Alright, sissy," he whispered.

They watched each other once again, only now it was with mournful faces. Elliott didn't normally call her sissy. Liam always had. Her large hazel eyes shimmered a bit with tears, thinking about their little brother, whom they just wanted to come back home. She leaned in, pulling Elliott into a hug.

"Thanks, bubby."

* * *

"Kurt."

The doctor groaned into his pillow, swatting a hand toward the voice murmuring in his ear. Greyson had been up no less than six times in the night and he had only fallen back asleep about twenty minutes ago.

"Kurt! Stop it! You just smacked me in the face!"

Kurt groaned again and sat up, bleary eyed and confused.

"What? Why in the name of all that is holy would you be waking me up when we still have an hour before the kids have to start getting ready?!"

"I hear voices in the living room. God, you're grumpy this morning!"

Kurt felt guilt stab at him when he wiped the sleep from his eyes and saw the exhaustion and hurt on Blaine's face. They were too recently mended for him to be an irrational ass like this, no matter how tired he was. He heaved a sigh, then grasped the back of Blaine's neck gently and leaned in for a kiss.

"I'm sorry, baby. I seriously just fell asleep again. I'm just tired is all."

Blaine sank into the kiss gratefully, not wanting another fight.

"I know. It's fine. I'm tired, too. Seriously though, babe... there are voices in the living room. I think our twins are up."

Kurt sat up a bit, and listened carefully.

"Huh, I think you're right. That's odd. We're normally dragging them both out of bed in the mornings.

"Let's go out together and check on them," Blaine patted Kurt on the back before climbing from bed. "We haven't connected with just the two of them lately. I'm feeling a little remiss in my fathering duties."

Kurt eyed Blaine lovingly, knowing that the idea of his husband being remiss as a father was ridiculous, before stumbling out of bed himself.

They headed to the living room to find both of their first graders whispering urgently over something sitting on the coffee table.

"Hey, kids," Blaine called out softly.

They jumped to their feet with wide eyes, and Elliott shoved something that crinkled into his pocket.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, trying to hold back their combined amusement and curiosity.

"What are you guys up to?" Kurt asked, stepping forward to sit on the couch and holding his arms out to Elliott. The seven-year-old smiled as he climbed into his father's lap. Blaine sat down next to Kurt, snuggling into his side, and reached out for Addy. She bounced onto his lap with a happy grin.

"You gonna answer daddy, guys?" Blaine leaned down sleepily against Kurt's shoulder, running his fingers through Addy's tangles.

Addy and Elly looked at each other nervously.

"I don't know if we're allowed to tell you, daddies," Addy began anxiously.

"Okaaay," Kurt looked between the two of them, trying to read what was going on. "What in the world would you not be able to talk to us about?"

"It's about Santa and magic stuff," Addy replied in a firm voice.

Kurt could feel Blaine tensing beside him and knew that his husband was working hard to not laugh at the adorable certainty in Addy's voice.

Elliott glanced down, and then up to Kurt cautiously. It was obvious that he cared deeply how his more scientifically-minded father would respond to this statement.

Kurt just gave him a serene smile and brushed back the little thatch of hair that continually insisted on flopping all the way down into Elly's eyes.

"That sounds like fun stuff. How come you can't tell us?"

Elliott sank against his father in relief, and Kurt hugged him tight, knowing exactly what was going on in his head. He knew his son well. Elliott was basically him.

"Aren't Santa letters just supposed to go straight to Santa? I don't think mommies or daddies are allowed to read them. It makes them less... magic."

Elliott hesitated slightly with that word, magic, but gave in, knowing that this had to be an all or nothing thing.

Both Kurt and Blaine were silent for a moment, trying to consider their answer.

"Well, guys," Blaine started slowly. "The thing is, parents have a deal worked out with Santa. We work together sometimes on what your Christmas wishes are. Santa has a really big job, getting presents for the whole world, so mommies and daddies help out sometimes. It's actually a good thing if you tell us what you want."

Elliott perked significantly. This added piece of information was like a balm for his over-active brain. Just the right amount of common sense mixed with the fairytale side of life. He turned to Addy, who was sucking her thumb again anxiously.

"Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to show daddies, A."

Both fathers held in their smiles once again at this. It had come to their attention that their 'twins' had started calling each other A and E, lately. Also their own titles had been shortened to Daddy K and Daddy B some of the time. It was the first type of nicknames that Addy and Elly had come up with completely on their own, and they absolutely loved it.

Adelaide popped her thumb out of her mouth.

"But daddies won't be able to get us this, El! It's too big! That's why we're asking Santa!"

"I know, Addy, but... it's daddies. We never keep stuff from daddies."

Kurt and Blaine watched in silence, not really wanting to interfere or push further. They honestly hadn't meant to make a big deal of this, but they knew that if the kids kept their letter to Santa a secret- there was little they could do to actually purchase the requested gifts. They were also wondering what type of present they were asking for if not even they could afford it.

Addy chewed her lip indecisively, before nodding her assent. Elliott slowly reached into the pocket of his pajamas, and handed Kurt a piece of now wrinkled paper. Kurt shot both kids a smile before carefully opening the letter. Blaine nuzzled down further into Kurt's shoulder to look on, and Kurt reached his arm behind his husband, looping it around his waist and pulling him in so that they were all snuggled up together. He held the paper out in front of them, so that both he and Blaine could read silently.

_Deer Santa,_

_We have been very good. We are asking for sumpthing very big this yeer. Our litel bruthr and sistr were takin away. We are very very sad. Pleez pleez pleez pleez give us bear and goobr back. We dont need any othr presents. We can have no presents next yeer to. Pleez pleez pleez! Thank you in advantz._

_We love you Santa. Thank you for your considrashun._

_Elliott and Adelaide Hummel_

_P.S. This is just Elliott now. I am werking supr, supr hard to belev. Promis._

By the time they were done reading, they were both pretty much speechless. They found that they were clutching the kids to them probably a little too tightly when Addy let out a choked squeak and Elly gasped out a, "Too tight, daddy."

Blaine found his voice first.

"Guys, this is... just... the most selfless and amazing present you could have asked for."

"What's selfless?" Addy asked around her thumb. Kurt reached over and gently pulled her hand from her mouth as a reminder that she was too old for that.

"Selfless just means that you think about other people more than you think about yourself."

"But asking for Tia and Liam IS for us," Elly answered in confusion. "We miss them, daddy! It's not fair! Their daddy HAD a chance but he didn't come to take them away until they were already ours!"

"Elliott, Adelaide," Kurt sighed heavily, taking a moment to calm himself, knowing that his emotions were so close to the surface right now. "Do you guys remember when we first talked about doing foster care? We said that these kids would most likely just be with us temporarily. We knew that this could happen."

"We know that," Elliott sniffed. "But we also know that Tia and Liam want to be with us. They don't want to be with their real daddy."

"Yeah," Addy piped up with bottom lip trembling. "We could hear them crying from all the way in the house with Grandpa."

"Well," Blaine choked out, hardly able to hold his rational stance when his children were so upset. "Unfortunately, it's just not up to us. That's how this kind of stuff works. Daddy and I wish, just like you, that we could keep them forever like we planned. Their real daddy is here now though, and he really does love them, guys. He's going to take care of them."

Kurt's grip around Blaine's waist tightened in that moment, and they both knew that it was because they were desperately hoping that this was actually true. They knew nothing at all about the man who had come to take their two babies away.

Addy and Elly sat still, absorbing this information. Kurt fingered the crinkled letter in his hand.

"Guys, one more thing. This letter to Santa, it is one of the most wonderful things I've ever read. I love it. I know daddy does, too."

Blaine nodded quickly with a watery smile for both kids.

"The thing you guys have to understand, is that Santa doesn't have any more control over how foster care works than we do. Santa's magic doesn't quite work like that. Some things... they're just too big for someone even as amazing as Santa."

"Nu-uh!" Addy shook her head quickly, tears spilling from her eyes. "That's not true, daddy! Last year, Jayme's mommy was really sick, 'member? She asked Santa to make her mommy better and her mommy got all better. I asked you if Santa did it and you said yes!"

In that moment, Kurt really wanted to reach back in time and smack some sense into himself.

Indeed, Addy's friend's mom had been quite sick last year. The woman wasn't an actual patient of Kurt's, but he knew who she was through the hospital network. She had been diagnosed with a sudden illness, and had gone downhill rather quickly. Blaine had been on the night shift when she had been rushed into the emergency one night, and had come home to tell Kurt about it, heartbroken for the sake of Addy's friend.

Just when time was running out though, and right before Christmas no less, a new drug had been cleared for a trial at the hospital, a drug that had a fighting chance of curing her. The girl's mother had fit all the requirements, and been squeezed into the trial just in the nick of time.

The drug had worked. She had even made it home for Christmas. It was one of those cheer-worthy moments at the hospital. They had even thrown a little party.

Kurt had come home that night, overjoyed- to tell his daughter that her friend's mom would be okay. When Addy had told him of Jayme's wish, and asked him if Santa did it, Kurt had been so caught up in the magic of the moment that he had told her, "Of course it was Santa! It was a magical Christmas miracle!"

Now he was really wishing he had thought it through just a bit more. He stared into those bright hazel eyes, then looked over into Elliott's baby blues. They were both hanging on his response. He couldn't bear to give them false hope. He also couldn't bear to crush their dreams. Thankfully, Blaine saved the day.

"Listen, guys," he sidled up into Kurt's side a bit more, allowing his husband to put both arms around him, while pulling Elliott over so that both kids were on his lap. "You are absolutely right, Addy. Every once in a while, something extra special and magical can happen. Sometimes Santa can choose to do something extraordinary for kids for Christmas. You have to understand how rare that is though. He can't do it for every single kid... and sometimes... there is a reason we don't get the things we ask for. Sometimes there are things going on that we just don't understand, and it wouldn't end up being right for us to get our way. I know that we miss Tia and Liam, but we're not the only ones who care about them. Their daddy really does care about them too. We have to give him this chance. Maybe Santa won't give you this wish, but it isn't because he doesn't want to, or because you haven't been good, or even because he can't. Maybe it's just more important for them to be where they are."

Addy looked absolutely crushed. Elliott looked defeated. Blaine and Kurt just wanted to cry.

Suddenly, Addy sat up straight, with a determined look on her little, pixie face.

"No. I'm not givin' up! You said that he MIGHT not give us our wish. That means he might decide to give it to us. SOMEone's special miracle wish has to come true! Maybe it'll be me and Elly's!"

Elliott was watching her with wide eyes, looking like he wanted so desperately to side with her, but just wasn't sure. Addy snatched the letter from Kurt's hand and slapped it against his chest.

"Will you please mail this daddy?"

When Kurt sighed and opened his mouth to argue, she hopped down from Blaine's lap with a cross look and a flip of her hair.

"Don't even start, daddy! I'm believin' this! You can't stop me! Come on, Elly!"

Elliott watched his fathers uncertainly. Addy rarely took charge when it came to the two of them, but when she did he was always quick to follow. She was quite the force to be reckoned with. He shrugged his slight shoulders and hopped down too, following her to their rooms to get ready for school.

Both fathers watched with mouths hanging open as their kids walked away.

Blaine turned to Kurt, trying to hold in his laughter.

"How in the world did my biological daughter get your extreme stubbornness?"

Kurt smirked, dropping the letter into Blaine's lap as he squeezed his husband close.

"Well, she's using my stubbornness to back up your whimsy. I'd say she ended up as a good combination of the two of us."

With a kiss on Blaine's cheek, he stood, knowing that they needed to start getting everyone ready. Finn and Nick were both planning on coming by later that day after Addy and Elly went to school.

"Oh, and honey?" He called as he backed away, pointing to the letter he had dropped in Blaine's lap. "Don't forget to put an extra stamp or two on that when you mail it. The kids are right about one thing, at this point Santa is our only chance. I don't want to risk it not getting to his workshop for lack of postage."

* * *

"How were they?"

Finn, Nick, Kurt and Blaine were all sitting around the kitchen table. Nick was happily holding a sleeping Greyson in his arms, and Brandi was sitting on Kurt's knee with an arm around his shoulders. He was holding her close, so thankful that she wasn't pushing away from them. They wished she didn't have to be a part of these tough conversations, but they knew that they would be doing her more harm than good to refuse for her to hear the truth about her own brother and sister.

"They were... okay," Finn answered slowly. "They were upset, of course. I can tell you though... that he really is trying. He may be new to this, and he may have gone about this the wrong way, but I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that he wants this to work. He wants to be a good dad. He just... needs some help."

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other, both feeling as if something horrible and heavy was sitting in the pits of their stomachs. They both knew what they had to do, but it felt- as if they were signing their own death warrants.

"Well," Kurt said roughly, "that's what our visits will be for, right? We'll help him. When we visit we'll show him what we know. Help them to adjust to each other. We can help to show the kids that he's not the bad guy, just because he's not us."

Blaine nodded quickly in agreement, though it was obvious that he was holding back some tears. Nick was watching his friends in awe, wondering if he would be able to be so strong in their position. Finn smiled sadly, but gratefully, not expecting anything less of his brother and brother-in-law.

"Speaking of those visits," Blaine's voice as strained, and he stopped to take a deep breath before continuing. "When do we get to start? How often? How long will he be in town?"

"He is required to stay in town for two months so that we can monitor the situation and make sure that the kids are okay. You guys will be given bi-weekly visits for the first month. We may taper them off before the end. The kids are obviously incredibly attached to you, and there is no easy way to make this change. We need to do what is best for them in the long run, and weaning them from you is the best we'll be able to do."

Brandi stiffened in Kurt's arms and turned to Finn.

"What about me?"

Finn looked at her in surprise.

"What do you mean exactly, sweetie?"

"I'm their sister. Just because they're being taken away from dads doesn't mean they should be taken away from me. I should get the right to visit them too."

Finn nodded with an encouraging smile.

"You're right about that. Usually in these cases we do our best to make sure that visits can still happen between siblings. I don't think Mr. Scott will object to that. You can go along with your dads when they visit for now, and maybe we can work something out so that you can go see them once they move. I don't think we'll have you go today, but I'll try to plan a visit just for you this week, and then you can join your dads for their other visits. We will work something out for you to see them once they're gone though, okay?"

She stiffened even further, glancing at Nick. The lawyer watched her carefully, gauging how much she wanted him to say out loud.

"What's going on?" Blaine asked warily, taking in the almost visible tension that had suddenly settled at the table.

Nick looked at Brandi evenly, clearly not willing to speak unless she gave him permission, but also obviously willing her to just out with it, and be honest with her fathers. She looked back, glaring slightly. She didn't want to say anything until she herself knew what was going to happen. She turned to look at Kurt and Blaine then though, and the confusion and pain she saw broke her.

They were hurting just as much as she was over losing Tia and Liam, and her secretiveness was not helping matters. They had done so much for her. Taken her in when she had no one else. They had supported and loved her in ways that she had never had before. She sagged into Kurt's side, hugging him tightly around his shoulders.

"Go ahead," she whispered. "We can tell them everything."

Kurt and Blaine looked on with wide eyes. Kurt clung tightly to his daughter. Out of nowhere, fears of her trying to find a way to remove herself from their custody, telling Nick that she no longer wished for them to adopt her, flashed through his mind. He knew that he couldn't handle losing one more child.

"Your daughter," Nick began, a soft smile on his face as he looked at Brandi, "has asked about retaining my services to see what her rights are concerning her brother and sister."

Finn looked at the girl in shock and leaned forward.

"Brandi, why didn't you come to me? My job is to not only look after Tia and Liam, but you, too. I can do everything in my power to make sure that you still see them.

Brandi looked uncomfortable and glanced to Nick. The lawyer adjusted Greyson slightly on his shoulder and spoke carefully.

"I think, Finn, that she just wanted to make sure she was taking every precaution. She was hoping that if there was actually something that might be done to keep her siblings with her, she would have the law behind her."

Finn, Kurt and Blaine all turned slowly to look at Brandi, with more than a little awe on their faces. She sat stiffly on Kurt's lap, tucking her thin hands between her knees self-consciously.

"I'm just doing everything I can to make sure they're okay. I'm not helpless anymore, Grandma reminded me of that. I'm the one steady thing Tia and Liam have had- their whole lives. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try. I had to try, daddies."

Blaine silently stood from his chair and slipped into one on the other side of Kurt, scooting close to their sides. He wrapped his arms around both of them, successfully squishing Brandi in-between them.

They didn't say anything, just held each other for a moment. They pulled apart a minute later, all a bit teary, but feeling united at least. Blaine linked his fingers with Brandi and Kurt put an arm around them both.

"Well, can we hear what you know?"

Nick sighed, tipping back in his chair slightly before he spoke.

"You need to understand that this isn't necessarily my area of expertise. I know I've helped you with adoption stuff for all your kids, but most of it has been pretty straightforward. Addy, Elly, Brandi... there have been no complications or people contesting your rights. This, however- the whole world of foster care- it's a little bit out of my jurisdiction."

"Understood," Blaine smiled softly.

"Well," Nick nodded, "I'll tell you what I know and Finn can correct me if I'm wrong, because in this case he might actually know more about the law than I."

Finn smirked, reaching for his nephew. Nick handed the baby over with a little pout.

"We'll see, man. I tend to do things my own way and then get yelled at later," Finn shook his head at himself while settling Greyson in his arms.

Kurt smiled, knowing full well how true this was, and sent his brother a little wink.

"Please tell me what you found out, Uncle Nick," Brandi asked quickly, not quite in the mood for the banter that was going around.

"Right," Nick moved on quickly. "Here's what I know. You, Brandi... " he hesitated for a moment before letting out a deep breath. "There are no legal rights that you have as a half-sibling- that could possibly keep them from going with their father. Even with the knowledge that you have given them so much care over the years. The law simply doesn't provide for that. He is their biological father, and unless he shows himself to be unfit in any way, which he hasn't, there is nothing we can do. Not simply on the grounds that they should remain with you because you are their sister. I'm sorry."

Blaine and Kurt both wrapped arms around her, holding her close. She let them, but still sat stiffly as she listened to Nick speak.

"Now," Nick hurried on, "as Finn said, as long as Mr. Scott is agreeable, there should be no problem in making sure that you still see them. Even after they leave the state. If we can work things out and come to an agreement, I don't see why this should be a problem."

Finn nodded quickly.

"Absolutely, Brandi. Tia and Liam's father seems pretty anxious to make this work, and I think by talking to him about how helpful it would be for them to stay connected to you- we should be able to work things out."

"Is that all?" Brandi asked quietly.

Nick sighed heavily, looking to Kurt and Blaine. He seemed to debate quite a bit in his mind before speaking again.

"Yes, honey. As far as your specific rights go."

She nodded, sitting up from Kurt's lap.

"Thank you, Uncle Nick. Can I ask though, if I ever had reason to believe that he wasn't a fit father... would that make any difference?"

They all looked at her in surprise.

"If you ever had any concerns at all, Brandi," Finn spoke carefully, "I can guarantee you that I would take them seriously. Genuine, real concerns, honey."

Brandi nodded seriously, knowing what he was saying. As much as she was dying inside over the thought of losing Tia and Liam, she would never falsely accuse someone. She'd never be able to live with herself. She'd just have to watch this man very carefully, every single chance she got.

"Thank you, both of you," she smiled sadly at Finn and Nick, then turned to her fathers. "I'm gonna go study, okay?"

"Okay, punkin," Blaine stood and pulled her into a hug, which she accepted fully, for which he was grateful.

They were all quiet as she left the room. Kurt and Blaine were feeling so generally defeated that they were actually surprised when Nick spoke up again.

"Listen guys, I didn't want to say anything in front of Brandi, in case it didn't go anywhere, but... there is another possibility. It doesn't stand with Brandi alone though. It stands with the two of you."

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Nick," Finn shook his head. "What are you saying? We cannot go down a trail of false hope here. That man is their father. We can't do anything about that."

"I'm not," Nick quickly shook his head. He looked straight at the two men, huddled together and watching him with wide eyes. "Listen. Finn is right. This man is the father. He has custody. There is nothing you can do about that. However... you also need to know that the courts sit in equity, even if the law is not on your side."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Blaine watched his friend cautiously, obviously afraid of getting his hopes up.

"It means, that while, yes, no one can deny the fact that this man is the biological father and has the right to retain full custody of his own children, there is the factor that these children formed not only a significant attachment to you, but also to their sister. Now, if we were just considering the two of you as parents, I'm sorry to say that you probably wouldn't have a leg to stand on. You're foster parents, and this is kind of the deal you get. However, the additional fact that you have custody of Brandi, that you are adopting her, and that she formed such a significant bond over the years with her siblings... that really puts a lot in your favor."

"I don't..." Kurt shook his head, feeling conflicted. "I don't understand. What exactly could we hope for?"

"You could, if you chose," Nick spoke slowly, cautiously, "petition the court for parenting time. You need to understand though, that the odds are not necessarily in your favor. This man has given no indication that he will be an inadequate parent. Your best bet would simply be to let the court see the benefit of having the kids keep in contact with you, not to do it as an attack on Mr. Scott's character or abilities."

Finn watched on cautiously, and glanced up when Kurt looked to him for confirmation. He shrugged non-committally at first, but then gave a short nod, showing that he at least agreed in part.

"What is the likelihood of the court seeing things our way?" Kurt sent Nick an intense look, showing that he did not want to be jerked around. "What things do they consider in a situation like this?"

"Well, first of all we would simply contact Mr. Scott and see if he would be willing to mediate. It would save a lot of time and trouble for everyone involved. If he wasn't though, and it actually went to court, the key thing they would consider is what would be in the best interest of the children."

Kurt and Blaine sank back in their chairs, still feeling defeated, and now unsettled. They had had enough of a taste of the legal system to know that a judge's interpretation of what was best for the child could vary greatly.

"Here's the thing you need to consider guys," Nick spoke again softly, his heart breaking as he did so. "What is in the best interest for the children- needs to be thought out by you, too. You need to evaluate. If you decided to do this, would it be because you genuinely thought it would be the best thing for Tia and Liam, or just because you want them with you? You just... you need to be sure."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, knowing that they had never before felt so conflicted.

The thing that killed them- was that, deep down, they knew the answer to that question... and it wasn't the answer they wanted.

* * *

**Wednesday Afternoon**

Bryan rushed around the apartment, frantically cleaning everything in sight. Well, as best he could with Tia attached to his hip. It amazed him that while she made it quite clear that she didn't really like him; she had decided as of this morning that she would not be happy unless she was being held.

He stopped in his tracks when she started fussing- to fill her cup with juice, and gazed around the messy apartment in despair. How in the world did things get so messy so easily?! How in the world did two tiny children create such chaos?!

He knew that the kids were already his, that technically they weren't coming to judge him and his abilities, but it sure felt that way. Everything about these men was perfect; from their marriage, to their jobs, to their house, to the way they fathered. There was no way they would walk in here today and not judge him. Hell, maybe Mr. Hudson would take one look at how much Bryan was struggling, watch the automatic connection that he just knew would happen with the kids once Mr. and Mr. Perfect walked into the room, and snatch Tia and Liam away.

In a brief, guilty moment, he wondered if it would just be for the best.

The doorbell rang, and he sagged against the wall. He huffed out a deep breath and pushed himself to answer, a crying Tia on his hip. He put his hand on the door, trying to steady his wracked nerves. He couldn't help the depressing thought that popped into his head when his hand closed around the doorknob.

_Here we go. Let the judgment begin._

* * *

Bryan sank down slowly to the floor, basically feeling numb.

He had fully prepared himself for two hours of judgmental looks, snide comments, and exaggerated sighs from the expert fathers... all while being looked down upon as the world's greatest social worker took thorough notes in a chart concerning his lack of abilities.

What he had gotten- had been the complete opposite.

Yes, Tia and Liam had run to their prior foster fathers and leapt in their arms the moment the door opened, crying that they just wanted to go home, but that was where things had stopped going the way Bryan had imagined.

After hugging the children close and telling them how loved they were, the two husbands had sat down with Bryan... and had actually asked him how he was doing.

Bryan had just stared at them at first, having no idea how to respond. Surely they couldn't be genuine. He had just watched, only a day ago, as both of these men came close to breaking down emotionally as he drove away with 'their children'- particularly the shorter of the two. He had seemed ready to get on his knees and beg Bryan to not take Tia and Liam away.

Bryan was actually pretty sure he would have broken himself had that happened, and was quite thankful it hadn't.

But there they were, still looking hurt, still looking as if they just wanted to snatch these kids up and take them home that very moment, yet they were instead asking how Bryan was doing.

Then they had gone on to ask if there was any way in which they could help. Fucking help.

At first Bryan had just shrugged uncomfortably, saying that he was fine. That the kids were fine, but Finn had stepped forward. The social worker had looked straight into Bryan's eyes and said that this was not the time to be proud, that the Hummels only wanted to make things easier.

Bryan had stiffened, wanting nothing more than for these men to just leave. He couldn't stand the fact that not only had he broken apart their happy family, he was now a miserable failure. If he admitted that he needed help, it would be like saying that their heartache had been in vain.

When he looked into their eyes though, he saw so much compassion and understanding. It knocked him off his feet. He took a deep breath, swallowed his pride, and did what he needed to do as a father. He spoke in a quiet voice as he looked at the ground.

"Can you show me what it means to make them a baby burrito in a blanket?"

They had both broken into smiles, and gone on to answer every question under the sun.

They showed him how to tuck them in at night.

They showed him how to do Tia's pigtails.

They showed him how to get them to eat.

They taught him their songs.

They showed him how to fasten those darn clasps on Tia's overalls.

They showed him everything.

Then they had left, both obviously working hard to hold in their tears as the children begged to just be taken home... taken to their real home.

Bryan had done his best to console the sobbing children, while watching out the window as the two husbands held each other in the parking lot. He was pretty sure they were sobbing too.

They had helped him so much. They had shown him everything... except for the one thing that he knew was missing. The one thing he figured probably couldn't be taught.

When Bryan looked at his children, he knew without a doubt that he loved them, that he wanted the best for them, and that he wanted to care for them.

When Kurt and Blaine looked at the children... it was as if the sun was shining through their expressions. Every tiny thing that Tia and Liam did delighted them, caused them to laugh and smile and absolutely ooze joy. When they had to leave, their pain and heartbreak was so palpable Bryan had to look away. He couldn't handle it.

This wasn't something you could teach. This was something you either had, or did not. This was something you felt, or did not.

And Bryan did not. Not yet anyway. He wondered if it just took time.

The kids had cried themselves to sleep shortly after, and he had come out to the living room, wanting to enjoy the peace and quiet, but just feeling numb.

He gazed around the living room desperately, wishing that he could actually cry. He knew he would feel better. He couldn't. He was just empty.

He sighed heavily and cursed under his breath when a wrinkled piece of paper caught his eye. He remembered that piece of paper. It had fallen from the pocket of the husband with the curly hair, Blaine he thought, right before they left. He had seen it fall out, and had meant to say something, but that was right as Liam realized that his foster fathers were leaving... and had started wailing.

Everyone in the room had been sufficiently distracted for the next bit.

Bryan picked up the piece of paper, noting that it had been folded together at one point, but was partially open now, probably from how it had been stuffed into the pocket. He was surprised to see a child's handwriting. He debated with his conscience for a moment, before giving in to his curiosity. He figured he was already the worst person in the world; why not add to his sins. His heart skipped a beat when he read the words there:

_Deer Santa..._


	18. Chapter 18

An- I thought I had already published some long ass chapters. Welcome to the mother fucking queen of long ass chapters :)

Thank you gottriplets, as always, for fixing my many mistakes! You put so much work into this and I just love you for it!

I need to send a little shout-out to ARomanticAtHeart, who writes me the best little spoofs as an encouragement to my writing :) You are so fabulous, and you make me smile like no other!

If you haven't already had a chance to see, one of my amazing readers, LaylaP, commissioned the incredibly talented animateglee to make an animated gif of the scene at the end of chapter fourteen, when Kurt and Blaine bring baby Greyson home from the hospital. It is absolute perfection! I've posted a link to my profile :) While she was at it, our talented artist went ahead and drew sketches of Addy and Elly, because she's just lovely like that. These sketches are amazing! ExACTly how I pictured these two little ones. Links also posted to my profile. You must go check them out and send this fabulous artist some love!

Also, a sweet little anon made me the most adorable banners for the AFS stories! I haven't been able to create links for these, cuz my computer is misbehaving, but they are on my tumblr! Check them out! Thanks little nonny! MUAH :)

There is a song that has been in my head for the last month or so (It's gonna sound awfully familiar Liam). I listened to it quite excessively whilst writing this chapter. If you're feeling particularly in need of some emotional stimuli, give it a listen as you read.

"Every Night" by Imagine Dragons.

I'm gonna put a link for it on my tumblr, but I'm traveling right now. My iPad doesn't like creating links for some reason...

This chapter pretty much took everything out of me emotionally. I feel like I could sleep for days! Do me a favor and give me lots of love to read when I wake up ;)

Without further ado, because I love you and couldn't possibly keep you in suspense any longer...

* * *

**Wednesday Morning, December 22nd**

"Who's the cutest baby in the whole world? You're the cutest baby in the whole world! Yes you are! Yes you are! You're just the cutest wittle baby ever! Yes you are! My little Gres! You're the cuteyest wittle-"

"Oh my god, princess," Puck rolled his eyes as he walked into the kitchen where Kurt was snuggling Greyson in his arms and smothering him with kisses and baby talk. "Did you just use the word cuteyest?"

"Yes I did!" Kurt grinned, leaning down to give Greyson a little eskimo kiss, not even looking up at Puck as he spoke. "You would too if you were holding the most adorable wittle baby in the whole wide world."

Puck sighed and scooped Greyson up into his arms. He held the tiny baby up into the air and gave him a scrutinizing gaze.

"Dammit, you're right!"

He swung Greyson down and nuzzled into his cheek.

"He is just the cuteyest wittle baby in the whole world! Shit! How does he do that to people? It's those damn chubby cheeks! He looks like a friggin' chipmunk hybrid and it's the most goddamn adorable thing ever!"

Kurt rolled his eyes and snorted a laugh before standing to stretch. He'd been holding his infant son for a couple of hours now, and while he wasn't about to complain, he was more than ready to move. He pressed a sloppy kiss to one of Greyson's chubby cheeks, and stood to move to the counter to pour a cup of coffee.

Puck leaned back up against the counter next to his friend with a sigh, chewing the inside of his cheek for a moment before speaking.

"Can I ask you something, Kurt?"

Kurt looked up in surprise. Puck rarely called him by his name. It was always 'princess' or 'fairy doc'.

"Yes, Noah. You may."

Puck grinned, realizing how seriously he had come across.

"I just have to know. You've been through hell and back lately with this whole fatherhood gig. Do you regret any of it?"

Kurt watched his friend carefully, before stepping forward to gently cup Greyson's cheek.

"Not for a minute. Not at all. I miss Tia and Liam so much... every single day. My heart aches because of it, but I wouldn't have done anything differently. We took them in when they needed us. We took the steps toward looking at adoption when the opportunity came up because we felt it was the right thing for us. We couldn't have known what would happen. I wouldn't trade the time we had with them for the heartache. Besides, who knows where those kids would be if not for us? I'm just glad we got to be a part of their lives for even a small amount of time."

Puck nodded slowly, giving the doctor what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He wasn't exactly the best at the emotional stuff. Kurt grinned and punched him lightly in the shoulder, causing the officer to laugh.

"Why do you ask all of a sudden?" Kurt asked curiously. Puck just shrugged it off though.

"No reason."

"Uh-huh," Kurt rolled his eyes. "Whenever you decide to tell me the truth, feel free."

Puck rolled his eyes right back.

"Fine. You're right. There's more. I'm just not quite... free to share yet."

"Even with me?" Kurt shot his friend and incredulous and offended look. "You've been mooching off of my husband and me for a month now, and you haven't even told me what's brought you into town yet! I, at least, deserve to know what's going on with you."

"Hey now," Puck glared. "I've been babysitting your little rugrats all the time! I've even changed diapers! Diapers, princess! Shit filled diapers! I've earned my right to keep secrets."

"Don't say shit in front of my son," Kurt hissed, reaching out to cover the baby's ears. Puck rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't understand," he chuckled, holding Greyson up against his shoulder. "Do you, bud? You don't know what the word 'shit' means, do you?"

Kurt snatched his child away with an irritated little growl, shooting the other man a glare over his shoulder. Puck rolled his eyes and scooted himself back up on the counter.

"Fine. Over-worry. I suppose it's what makes you such a good dad. Listen, while we're on the subject of naughty words, when's the last time you really fucked your husband?"

Kurt just gaped for a moment, looking offended.

"How is that any of your business?"

Puck just raised a single eyebrow and poured himself a cup of coffee. Kurt let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'll have you know that we just..." he glanced down at Greyson, "'did it', last night."

"No, no, no," Puck shook his head with a gleam in his eye. "I'm not talking about sweet and adorable lovemaking, which I'm sure you guys do all the time. I'm talking about hot and sweaty, man-on-man, fucking just for the sake of fucking. When's the last time you did that?"

They both looked up in shock when they heard a small clatter at the doorway. Paul was standing there with his mouth hanging open, a bottle he'd apparently been holding spinning on the ground. With a quick shake of his head he muttered that he needed to 'stop walking in on conversations', then took Greyson from Kurt's arms and headed back out the door.

"I'm just gonna take my grandson into a room where he can listen to The Backyardigans instead of this," he said, sending Kurt a little smirk. Kurt sank his face down into his palm.

"Thank you, Paul."

He punched Puck in the arm again, once they were alone. The officer grasped his arm with a laugh.

"Damn! You've got an arm for someone so skinny!"

"I can carry three children around at one time," Kurt snarked. "Never underestimate a daddy."

"Fine, fine," Puck grinned. "Listen though, I really do mean well. I'm actually not being a pig at the moment. Promise. Just..." he snatched the cup of coffee from Kurt's hand and picked up the nearby toaster, shoving it in front of Kurt's face, "look at yourself. You kinda look like a shadow of your former self right now..."

Kurt looked at his reflection with an irritated sigh, determined at first to blow Puck's statement off. After a second though, he really caught a glimpse of himself... and he was shocked. It was more than just circles under his eyes. He just had an overall look of exhaustion. Exhaustion, and sadness. Part of the exhaustion could be explained away by having a newborn, but he knew better than to try and blame it all on that. No matter how brave he and Blaine were trying to be, both for each other and for the other kids, they were still absolutely broken about Tia and Liam. Kurt had meant it when he'd said that he wouldn't have traded their time with the kids, just to not have the heartbreak of them being taken away... but that still meant he was left with said heartache, and it just got worse every time they went to visit the kids. The moment they left, they could hear them both cry for their daddies the second the door was closed.

Bryan was trying- trying incredibly hard. That much was obvious. Kurt had been admittedly impressed, and Blaine slightly more grudgingly so, at how Bryan had pushed aside all pride after the first couple visits, asking them for advice. They had pushed aside their own hurt, and stepped up. Bryan was their real dad, and there was nothing they could do about that. The point was for both Tia and Liam to be happy and healthy. Kurt and Blaine could at least take care of one of those by making sure Bryan was well equipped.

It was slowly tearing them to pieces though, and he could see that wear on his face. He looked a bit haggard, and he didn't do haggard very well. He sighed heavily, shoving the toaster back into Puck's hands, ignoring the pointed look that his friend was giving him.

"Now look out there at your husband," Puck said shortly. Kurt creased his brow in annoyance, but looked out toward the living room anyway.

Blaine was kneeling on the floor, helping the kids wrap some presents. Brandi was meticulously wrapping a sweater she had picked out for Aunt Rachel, and Blaine leaned over to give her a little hug, telling her what an amazing job she was doing. Elliott was struggling a little with tying a bow as he wrapped a screw driver for Grandpa Burt, and Blaine quickly slipped a finger onto the ribbon to help hold it in place. Addy had successfully wrapped an unidentifiable package in tape about twenty times, and Kurt smiled as he watched Blaine face palm for a moment, before gently cutting off her tape supply.

Blaine looked happy with the kids, at an initial glance, and he genuinely was. When Kurt took a moment to really look at his husband though, he saw the cracks in his armor. The same exhaustion and sadness that Kurt had seen in his own face, could easily could easily be found on Blaine's. A tightness around the mouth, the lack of a spark in his eyes when he smiled, and just an overall weariness.

Kurt's shoulders sagged, feeling suddenly as if he was failing everybody in his life- at every turn. He jumped a bit when Puck threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Look, man," Puck sighed. "This isn't judgment, okay? You're an amazing dad and an amazing husband. I know that, but as I stated earlier, you've been through hell lately. You need a break. Your husband needs a break. You guys just need to go out and have some fun and relax together. You deserve it."

Kurt couldn't help the smile that crossed his face.

"I'm gonna take a giant leap here and assume that you have something planned already."

"Well, combined with Paul and Finn and Rachel... yeah. You're taking your husband, and you're going away overnight. Rachel booked you some room somewhere; she left an envelope with the details. Between the four of us, we'll take care of the other kids."

"Blaine and I don't get a say in this?" Kurt asked, trying to look offended, but he was smiling too much for it to be effective.

"Nope, go snag your husband and get out here. I don't want to see you back here until tomorrow afternoon."

Kurt didn't say anything else. He felt like he should argue, like it was too much to ask of his friends and family- to give up their time so close to Christmas. Just in that moment though, Blaine leaned down over Elly's present, giving Kurt a perfect view as his shirt rode up a little and his ass stuck up in the air- just a bit.

"Yeah, I really need to fuck my husband," Kurt coughed, slapping Puck on the chest and dashing out to grab a surprised Blaine by the hand.

Puck threw his head back in laughter as the kids all looked on, bewildered. Their fathers dashed off in the direction of their bedroom, one dragging the other- who was looking just as confused as the children.

Puck ran back into the room, scooping Elliott up and onto his shoulders.

"Okay, kiddos. Daddies are going out for the night. Your Uncle Puck's in charge! You know what that means!"

"Ice cream for dinner!" Addy shrieked, plastering herself to Puck's legs with a grin.

"Hey!" Paul spoke up with a grin. "I'm here too! I think your dads are gonna want you to have something healthy too."

He was about to keep arguing when he caught Brandi gazing at him hopefully. He sagged against the couch, holding an arm out to the young teen. She snuggled in next to him with a bright smile.

"Fine," he sighed, "ice cream for dinner. If your dads find out though, this is your uncle's fault."

"I can handle it," Puck grinned, sending a wink to Brandi- and then staggering slightly as Elliott started to fall off his shoulders when Addy clung to both of his legs too tightly for him to balance.

Paul cringed when all three fell over onto the couch, desperately hoping that this night didn't end up with a trip to the emergency room.

* * *

**Wednesday Afternoon**

Cara took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. It wasn't that big a deal. It was just a trip to the mall. This was the first time she had gotten out of the house on her own since her C-section though. Not only was she unsure of how tired she would get, this was her first time potentially seeing people she knew since giving the baby away.

She was actually doing quite well, emotionally- much better than she had possibly imagined after those first few nights. She was so very grateful for the therapist that the adoption agency had set her up with. After some encouragement from the nurse, Lisa, who had become a fast friend and support those first few days, she had started seeing the therapist that first week. It was doing her a world of good, and giving her back the perspective she had gained during the pregnancy.

She was feeling fully confident again, that she had made the right decision. It was still hard, and she still felt an intense ache inside when she thought of the baby she had given up. Every time that ache hit her though, she would gaze at the picture that Lisa had printed for her of the Hummels. She would look at their glowing faces as they held the nondescript bundle- and know without a shadow of a doubt that she had done the right thing.

She waved a quick goodbye to her neighbor who had given her a ride to the mall as she stepped up to the entrance. She still wasn't able to drive on her own yet, and her father was away on a job. He had hesitated to leave her, but she knew that they needed the money- and she had encouraged him to go. She knew that it would do him good to get out, and their nice neighbor lady who always looked in on her when her dad traveled had promised to keep an extra close eye on her.

She felt a little pang when she realized how much she just wished that she was able to go and visit the Hummels, just as she had during the last months of her pregnancy. She knew that she wasn't ready for that, though. In all honesty, she had no idea if they would ever want her around. The initial terms of their agreement had stated that it would be a closed adoption- and that their contact would discontinue as soon as the baby was born. As their relationship had progressed though, it quickly became apparent that they would not be the norm when it came to the relationship between biological and adoptive parents. They had never discussed it completely, but it had been insinuated numerous times that maybe they would want to revisit the whole idea of cutting contact completely. She had gone into labor so suddenly though, that there had not been time to discuss it further. Then, after she had delivered, she had been so devastated that she couldn't handle the idea of seeing any of them.

Now, all she could think of was how much she just wanted to be with them again. She thought of the list in her purse, which included a little something for each of the Hummel children. She missed them all so much, particularly the three foster children, as she had spent the most time with them. Brandi had become such a good friend in the short amount of time she had spent together, and Tia and Liam were like a little brother and sister. She grinned when she went on to think of Elly and Addy, and the humor in how close they were, while being so very different. She couldn't stand the thought of not doing anything for them for Christmas, and was hoping that if she got them each a little something she could at least ask Lisa to pass the gifts on. She was sure that the nurse would help her in this way.

She blew out a deep breath as she stepped into the crowded mall, finally feeling ready to start facing the world again.

* * *

"Do you guys want to see Santa?" Bryan gazed hopefully down at Liam and Tia. The one-year-old was watching at him nonchalantly, gnawing happily on the end of a breadstick he had picked up in the food court. One thing he had learned very quickly about his daughter, was that he would always be able to keep her happy with food. A nagging voice in the back of his mind told him that this was probably an unhealthy and very short term solution, but right now he was simply in survival mode.

Liam just looked at him warily, refusing to speak a word. For the first several days, the two-year-old had spoken fairly often. He had answered Bryan's questions with one or two words, and had never failed to remind his biological father of the fact that no matter what he did, "Daddies did it better". In the last week though, he had stopped talking almost completely. The only time the toddler spoke or smiled was when his foster fathers came to visit. The moment they left, however, he would withdraw into himself, refusing to interact with Bryan unless absolutely necessary- and hugging Tia to him every chance he got.

Three weeks had gone by since the children had been given back to him. Three weeks.

It felt like an eternity.

He was trying so desperately hard to do the right things. He had even started taking advice from the two foster fathers, knowing deep down that they were so much better qualified than him. It had cut him to the core when they had willingly offered their help with a smile, yet broke down every single time they left from their visits. He would watch them in the parking lot. They had failed to make it to their car even once without visibly sagging from the sadness when they heard both Tia and Liam cry for them.

Then there was the older sister. She just plain unnerved him. She had started accompanying her foster fathers on some of their visits, and coming separately with Finn at other times. She would never say a word to him- just went straight to her siblings, checking them over thoroughly before shooting him a small glare. On the occasions that she came along with her fathers, she would sometimes sit off to the side while the three men interacted with the kids, watching his every move with narrowed eyes. He had never felt so nervous around a thirteen-year-old. He got the distinct feeling that she was just waiting for him to mess up, and would be ready to jump in the moment he did. He felt sure- that with the way he was going, it wouldn't be long.

Then there was that letter. That damn letter. God, he wished he had never opened that piece of paper. It was slowly eating away at his soul. He had had the very brief thought that the men had dropped the letter on purpose for him to find, but quickly came to the realization that they just weren't those type of people. He had debated giving it back to them, but the thought of admitting that he had read those words- and was still insisting on tearing their perfect little family apart... well, he just couldn't bear that.

He let out a heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair distractedly as he squatted down in front of the double stroller.

"Come on, Liam! Buddy! Don't you want to see Santa? It'll be fun! You can get a candy cane and everything!"

Liam stuck out his lower lip, and Bryan had to bite back a groan of frustration. He knew that little look by now. It was the look Liam always got when he was about to say that he just wanted his daddies. He had recently stopped saying the actual words though, realizing that they were getting him nowhere. He just retained the look. The one that said he just didn't understand why everyone insisted on keeping him and Tia from the two people who loved them most.

Bryan sagged, realizing that the little boy was not about to give in to anything that he suggested, even something fun like going to see Santa. He was just getting ready to stand, deciding that he might as well take the kids home, when Liam bounced excitedly in his seat with hands outstretched.

"Cawa!"

Bryan looked up in surprise. The only people who made Liam this excited- were either doctor and nurse perfect- or his older sister. Tia quickly joined in on the excitement, squealing happily as she chucked the soggy remains of her breadstick onto the floor. He stood quickly, turning around to see who was causing the commotion. He was surprised to see a teenager, surely no more than sixteen, walking up to him quickly with a concerned expression. He watched in bewilderment as she rushed up to the kids and knelt down next to the stroller, holding both of their grabby hands in her own as they tried as hard as they could to escape their seats and climb into her arms.

She glanced up at him warily, suspiciously, before speaking.

"I'm sorry. I really hope I don't sound rude, but... Who the hell are you and what are you doing with Doctor and Mr. Hummel's kids?"

His heart sank even further, if that was possible. This felt like the final straw for some odd reason.

"Not to be rude right back," he snapped, "but who are you to even question me?"

She watched him uncertainly, gauging her response while refusing to let go of the children's hands.

"I'm a friend of the family," she answered slowly, then sighed heavily before looking him straight in the eye. "Their youngest child, their one-month-old baby... He was mine. I gave him up for adoption to them."

He stomach clenched at those words. That was not what he had expected, at all.

Cara's eyes narrowed slightly as Liam reached for her desperately, calling her name once more. She reached into the stroller, offering him a solid hug.

"I think you owe me an explanation now," she spoke in a low voice, "because these kids seem less than thrilled to be here right now, and I know Kurt and Blaine wouldn't leave them with just anyone. Why do you have their kids?"

The words spilled from his lips before he could help himself, before he had a chance to process that he was about to spill his scariest and most heart-wrenching secret to a teenaged stranger.

"I don't know. I... I don't even know anymore."

* * *

Thirty minutes later they were settled down at a table in the far corner of the busy food court. Bryan was holding a sleeping Tia on his lap, pressing kisses to her blonde head- and looking absolutely miserable. Cara was sitting opposite of him, Liam on her lap and clinging to her firmly, feeling absolutely sick to her stomach.

"Wow," she said finally. "I'm... I'm really sorry. I can't imagine being in your shoes. I'm sorry I kind of attacked you. I just know how much they love these kids and I didn't know you..." she trailed off uncertainly. He shrugged with a laugh that held absolutely no amusement.

"It's okay. I don't blame you. I know firsthand how little my own kids want to be with me. I'd have been concerned too if I was in your position."

She smiled sadly then, leaning down to look briefly at the toddler in her lap and hugging him close.

"It'll get better," she said softly, yet with obvious hesitation. "I'm sure. You need time, and so do Tia and Liam. I bet if-"

She was surprised when she was cut off by a sharp laugh. She looked at the man across the table with sad eyes. His laughter was so sad and desperate, partially a small sob, and it was obvious by the thickness in his voice that tears weren't far behind.

"Yeah," he shot out with another sharp little laugh, wiping at the corner of his eye. "The only success that I've had so far in this whole fatherhood thing is because the Hummels helped me. Anything I've managed to do right... it's because of them. How ironic is that? I failed my kids in the first place- by letting them stay with mother at all. Then when they finally get what they need and deserve, I come and ruin everything. I'm trying so hard to be a good dad and make the right decisions... but I just keep messing everything up."

She sat and listened stiffly, unsure of how to respond. The obvious question popped into her head, and she chewed on the inside of her cheek, uncertain if this would be overstepping her boundaries. She watched as he wiped again at his eyes, trying to keep from bursting into tears in the middle of the mall.

He rubbed a soothing hand on Tia's back when she stirred in her sleep- and Cara watched this motion carefully. She swallowed back her nerves, speaking softly.

"It's obvious how much you love them. I can see that clearly now... but if you love them so much, and if you really feel that they were so much better off with the Hummels... why are you taking them away? I mean, you weren't a part of their lives before... why now? Especially when they were all so happy."

He just stared for a moment. He had been asked this question several times, prior to the moment when his children had actually been turned over into his custody. His answer had always been simply that he was their father. Kids should be with their parents. He had already failed them. It was his turn to step up. He cleared his throat roughly. Somehow that answer seemed ridiculously inadequate now.

"I'm their father," he answered in a wavering voice. "I'm the one who's supposed to be taking care of them."

She thought carefully, feeling like she was so out of her league right now, but unwilling to just let it go when this man was so obviously in distress- not to mention the fact that Liam was gripping her so tightly it felt as if he had a death grip on her.

"I understand that kind of thinking, trust me," she smiled genuinely. "But do you... do you even want this? Do you want to be with them? Do you want to be a dad?"

"You don't get to just choose whether you're going to be a parent," Bryan spoke heavily. "I pushed away the guilty feelings of not being there for them when they were babies-because I thought that they would be okay since they were with their mother. Obviously that was a horrible mistake, but I'm trying to fix it now."

"Don't you see though," Cara sat forward in her chair, "being a good parent to your child isn't so black and white. Believe me when I say that I understand that desire, that deep-down desire, to be the one to raise your own child. To be the one to care for them. You feel like you are abandoning them if you, yourself, aren't the one to do it."

Bryan watched the teen with wide eyes, feeling as if his life was hanging in the balance with the words she was speaking. He swallowed harshly.

"Do you feel like you abandoned your baby when you let them adopt him?" He whispered, feeling like he was forcing an unwelcome confidence- but desperately needing to know what her answer was.

_God, I'm putting all my stock in the opinion of a teenager!_

He squeezed his eyes shut, resting his head on top of Tia's. He opened them when he felt Cara lean forward and rest a hand on his arm. One look in those eyes told him that she wasn't a typical teenager though. Christ, she looked like she had access to so much more wisdom than he. He suddenly felt so small.

"No," she answered in a calm voice, with peace in her eyes. "I loved my baby. I still love my baby, but there isn't a doubt in my mind that I was not ready to be a mom. A real life, 'day-in, day-out', actual mom. I would have done it if I'd had to, of course. I would have done anything to take care of him. In this case though, I had these two men- who not only have the capability to do more for my child than I ever could- they desperately wanted him, Bryan. This is what life is about for them. They want to be fathers. They want to be a family. They want to take children into their home and love them like nobody else can. They want this more than anything else in life."

The tightness in his chest was overwhelming. He felt as if he was on the brink of falling. Every word she spoke resounded within him so deeply. It was like she was speaking aloud every secret thought and feeling that he had continually pushed aside, for fear that it meant he was once again failing as a father if he conceded... if he finally admitted the truth... that these men could do something he could never possibly do.

They could be fathers to his children, and instead of just surviving... they would thrive. Then in turn, his children would not only survive, they would also thrive.

God, he wanted that for them.

He nodded slowly, unable to stop the tears that were now falling down his cheeks. He felt at such a loss. There seemed to be no way out. He had already ruined everything. How could he possibly go back now?

"Even if..." his voice was rough and he passed a hand over his eyes. "Even if I felt that way... even if I decided that you're right... it's too late for us now. I already took them away. I already screwed up everyone's lives. I was so intent on doing the right thing that I didn't... I didn't think about the fact that there is more than one right. I messed up..."

He broke then, holding Tia to him tightly, sobbing into her hair. Cara stared helplessly, patting his arm, having no idea what she should do.

"I thought I was finally being a good father! I thought... Oh god! Now it's too late..."

Cara watched, suddenly seeing how young this man in front of her was. It struck her that he must be much younger than the children's mother. He was nowhere near old enough to be Brandi's real father.

_God! He's only a few years older than me!_

She tightened her grip on his arm, feeling more confident.

"Listen to me," she said sharply, causing him to sit up straight and look her in the eye with a shocked expression. "It is never too late. You've said yourself- that Doctor and Mr. Hummel are these incredible people. If you decided that the kids were better off with them, don't you think they would take the kids back in a heartbeat?! They were ready to adopt Tia and Liam! Do you think that they would be selfish and hold this against you- punishing the kids, just because you messed up?"

Bryan stared at her in shock, hardly able to believe that this young girl was speaking to him this way. A warmth was spreading through him at her words though, a sort of hopefulness that he was nervous to let take hold.

"I took care of it legally though," he sighed roughly. "I don't even know...

Her eyes narrowed at those words. She saw that he was listening to what she had to say, and decided to take it a step further, hoping she wasn't pushing too hard, too fast.

"If you truly believe that they are better off with the Hummels, then be a man! God! You took the steps to take them away! You just take the steps to give them back!"

His eyes widened even further and his jaw dropped. Cara cringed a bit. She had never spoken to anyone that way before, yet she regretted nothing.

"Listen, from everything you've said, I can tell that you truly love these kids." She gazed down at the toddler in her arms. Despite their intense conversation, he had joined his sister in napping, and had nuzzled into her shoulder. His flushed cheek was pressed against her, and tiny fingers grasped at her sweater. She leaned down and placed a soft kiss to his cheek, then looked back up at Bryan. "If you really, truly love them... prove it! Be a man. Be a father. Do what's best. It's obvious what you think that is- no, what you KNOW that is. Forget your mistakes! It's over and done with. You can't change the past. What you CAN do is start making wise choices now. Show everyone involved what kind of man you are. Step up!"

Bryan's mouth was hanging open, moving just a bit as he searched for words. The warmth that had sparked inside of him started spreading. What had started as hoping against hope, was slowly turning into a calm reassurance. A secure feeling- that he had been lacking from the moment he had taken Tia and Liam away. A feeling that he might finally have a grasp on what he was doing, or at least what he needed to do.

Apparently he just needed a sixteen-year-old to pave the way. Obviously an extraordinary sixteen-year-old, but still... a kid. He had so much to learn about life. That much was becoming painfully apparent.

He surprised her by laughing suddenly, lightly.

"You're pretty sassy, you know that?"

A slow grin spread across her face.

"Yup. My dad tells me that quite frequently."

Bryan nodded slowly, smiling too.

"You're also pretty wise."

Her own smile softened. She didn't respond, just sent him a sympathetic gaze.

He wiped the tears that were drying on his cheeks and sighed heavily as he shifted a still-sleeping Tia down into her seat in the double stroller. After settling the baby, he reached for Liam and snuggled the boy in his arms. Cara felt so many emotions roll through her when he held the small boy into his chest, so obviously in love with the child, whether wanted by him or not.

She realized in that moment that, as close as she could come to knowing truly how he felt, she couldn't completely. She had refused to hold her baby when he was first born, knowing that she wouldn't be able to bear the thought of giving him away once she had known what it was like to hold him, while he was still hers.

Here was this man, holding his child in his arms with a grief-stricken expression on his face. She could only imagine the emotions flowing through him. Fear that he would yet again make the wrong decision, sheer heartache at the thought of walking away- putting his own flesh and blood in the care of another, and even a peace at the thought of finally putting things right, even at his own expense.

She met his gaze with teary eyes, and he smiled sadly, holding Liam closer to his chest.

"Thank you. So much. I can't even begin... just... thank you. Thank you for kicking my ass."

She nodded carefully, giggling a little as she wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

"Anytime."

* * *

**Wednesday Evening**

"Oh my gosh, Kurt! Hurry! My arms are about to break right now!"

Kurt rushed to unlock the door of their hotel room, opening it wide so that Blaine could dump all of the bags in his hands on the floor inside. The doctor laughed quietly as his husband collapsed on the bed with a dramatic sigh.

"You okay, sweetie?" Kurt smiled, setting aside their overnight bag and moving to settle down on the bed. Blaine rolled over with a groan, snuggling into Kurt's neck.

"I'll just tell myself that the looks on the kids' faces Christmas morning will be worth the fact that I have no feeling left in my fingers."

Kurt smirked a little, glancing over at the enormous pile of toys, clothes, games and stocking stuffers sitting by the door. He cringed inwardly, not even wanting to know the grand total that their purchases had come to.

"I get a sneaky feeling that we are trying to buy their love, what with all of the recent turmoil in our lives," he said a bit glumly. Blaine propped his head up on his hand gently pulled Kurt in for a kiss.

"Nope. We're just reaffirming our love... by buying them lots of stuff."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but leaned into the kiss anyway.

"That doesn't make it any better," he mumbled against Blaine's lips, sighing contentedly as the nurse leaned into him, pressing him into the bed. "At least they're getting presents though, you know, because Santa won't be bringing them anything."

Blaine groaned and threw himself backwards on the bed while Kurt laughed outright.

"God! You aren't going to let me forget about that, huh?"

Kurt crawled on top of his husband, smoothing kisses down his neck, stopping just behind Blaine's ear to caress the spot lightly with his tongue. Blaine shivered, running his fingers up Kurt's back to pull him in closer.

"Sorry, baby," Kurt breathed, mumbling against Blaine's neck. "I'm really not trying to throw it in your face. I just can't believe we lost their letter. I feel like we failed as fathers somehow."

Blaine sighed, pushing Kurt back and looking into his eyes.

"Well, their request from Santa wasn't exactly gonna happen, so I think we still covered our bases."

Kurt tried to smile, but he just couldn't manage it. Blaine dropped his head back, pulling Kurt down onto his chest. They rested together for a bit, holding each other close, letting the overwhelming sadness of their recent loss wash over them.

After a few minutes though, Kurt sat up with a sharp shake of his head.

"Nope. We're not doing this. Tonight is not about any of that. It's all about us, baby. We're gonna think about the two of us, and only the two of us... just for tonight."

A slow smile spread across Blaine's face.

"I like that plan." He ran his hands down Kurt's back to lightly trace the curve of his ass, causing the doctor to breathe in sharply. "What did you have in mind exactly?"

"Well," Kurt planted his knees down on either side of Blaine's hips, sitting up to start stripping off his shirt. "This morning my best friend strongly suggested that it was about time I fucked my husband."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He felt himself grow immediately hard as Kurt ground down into him lightly.

"I happen to agree," Kurt stated matter-of-factly, tossing his shirt aside before reaching down to remove his husband's. "We've had some really lovely sex lately, but it's been..."

He suddenly scooted himself down on the bed, resting his mouth directly about Blaine's erection.

"Way..."

He mouthed over the hardness. Blaine's eyes sank closed and he thrust his head back into the bed.

"Too..."

Kurt deftly popped open the button on Blaine's jeans and pulled down the zipper, moving his mouth to where only a thin layer of cotton covered the straining stiffness. Blaine groaned, reaching his hands up to run roughly through his hair.

"Long..."

Kurt slipped his hand underneath the band of Blaine's briefs, pulling the stiff cock completely free.

"Since I fucked you."

He suddenly sank down on Blaine with his mouth, and the nurse whimpered as he thrust up lightly with his hips, unable to stay still any longer. Kurt stayed where he was for a few moments, sucking gently as he moved his hands to carefully spread apart his husband's legs. He brought up a hand to lightly trace the curve of the ass in front of him, running a finger lightly over the entrance that was so temptingly close to his mouth.

Blaine's whimpering stopped as he gasped lightly.

Kurt pulled off of his husband's dick, giving it a small lick before moving up to kiss him, firm and deep. Blaine moaned into the kiss, grasping Kurt's face, licking into his mouth breathlessly. Kurt drew back with one last soft kiss, sliding his hand down to run his fingers over Blaine's splayed thighs.

"I think that I really need to fuck you tonight. Like, well and truly fuck you. Fuck you until we both just collapse."

"You're gonna have trouble doing that fucking with your pants still on," Blaine whispered in a harsh voice. Kurt grinned, leaning down to press his husband into the mattress as deeply as he could.

"Would you like to help me take them off? So I can get started?"

Blaine grinned against the doctor's lips, running his tongue over them lightly.

"Gladly."

* * *

"Are you sure about this, A?"

Elliott was eyeing his sister skeptically as the little girl settled on her knees with hands folded in front of her.

"Yes, Elliott."

"But, won't it be, like, when someone makes a deal with someone, and then tries to make a deal with someone else? One deal ends up getting cancelled. It's like, a double booking."

Addy rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh, then took his hands, forcing them into a folded position.

"I don't know 'xactly what you're talking about, but all we're doing here is doubling our chances. There's nothin' wrong with that. We asked Santa, now we're asking Jesus. Between the two of them we just HAVE to get Tia and Liam back. It's a no brainer."

Elliott watched her hesitantly, before settling into his knees and adjusting his hands.

"Alright. It can't hurt, and I'll do anything to get them back. You do the talking though."

Addy nodded happily, and was just about to speak when an amused voice spoke from the door.

"Whatcha doing, guys?"

They turned in time to see Brandi enter Addy's room with a soft smile, seeing her younger siblings on their knees in front of the bed.

They looked at each other briefly, wherein Elly nodded that they should share. It was Brandi after all. She deserved to be in on this.

"We're praying to Jesus that He'll bring Tia and Liam back home," Addy said with a smile. "Don't worry though, we asked Santa too. Between the two of them, I just know its gonna happen."

Addy reached out a hand to Brandi, which the older girl took after a moment of trying to swallow away the tightness that had formed in her throat.

"You won't need to be so sad any more, sissy," Addy said softly. Brandi smiled with misty eyes. All three of them had taken to referring to each other as sissy and bubby lately, thinking of little Liam every time. Brandi nodded, pulling both Elly and Addy into a tight hug.

"That's really nice guys," she whispered.

"Do you want to do it with us?" Elliott asked in a soft voice.

Brandi hesitated, unsure, until she saw the looks in their eyes, silently begging her to join them. A warm peace filled her. A peace that she hadn't felt for a month now, not since her siblings had been taken away.

She kind of loved this idea actually. It was right up her alley.

"Yeah," she smiled gently, sinking down in between them. She grasped both of their hands in hers.

"Let's do this."

* * *

**Late Wednesday Night**

Bryan sat in the middle of the tiny bedroom, clasped hands drawn to his mouth. His gaze settled on Tia for several long moments. She was snuggled down face-first in her crib, diapered backside sticking up in the air as her little legs tucked up under her body. One flushed cheek was smooshed down onto the sheet, one hand settled against her mouth, a damp thumb that had started out in her mouth- resting on her lips.

With a hard swallow, he quietly moved to tuck the little Sesame Street blanket around her. It was the one thing that he had purchased that she actually seemed to enjoy, and it did something to his heart to watch her snuggle into it contentedly.

He turned then to the other little bed in the room, and sank down next to it. Liam had cried himself to sleep that night, allowing Bryan to hold him for once, albeit grudgingly so. He had just ached as the little boy cried, asking where "Cawa" had gone, and exclaiming once again that he just wanted "daddies" to take him home. Normally Bryan would have tried to talk to the small boy gently about how HE was the daddy now, and that he loved them both so much and would take such good care of them.

On this night, he hadn't even tried. He'd simply held his son, letting him cry, whispering into the blonde hair, "I know, buddy. I know."

Eventually, Liam had exhausted himself, and collapsed against his father's chest. Bryan had held him for the longest time, gently rocking back and forth, smoothing kiss after kiss onto the blonde head.

After a good couple of hours, he had finally settled Liam into his little bed. He had tucked the second Sesame Street blanket around him, then settled down on the floor, trying to work things out in his mind.

He lifted a hand to lightly stroke the boy's cheek.

Silent tears ran down his cheeks. He didn't try to stop them. He didn't bother to wipe them away.

After a moment, he reached a shaky hand to his pocket, grasping the now incredibly crumpled piece of paper for a moment. He had read and re-read the letter, probably more times than was healthy for his soul, as it left him feeling broken and battered every single time.

Tonight though, it did something else entirely. As he touched the paper, he was overcome with a calm sense of purpose. A bit of rare happiness flared up inside of him as the thought sprang into his head, that after all of this- he could at least make more than one kid's Christmas wish come true.

Liam and Tia may not have written a letter to Santa, but he knew without a doubt what they wanted.

With a resolute nod of his head- and one last swipe of his eyes, he quietly pulled some bags from the closet- and began filling them with the children's things.

He hadn't known that it was possible to feel so devastatingly broken- and so resolutely at peace, all at the same time. He kept himself moving, gently packing away every last item.

He paused briefly when Liam sighed in his sleep, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "Daddy."

Bryan nodded, whispering brokenly, "Yeah. I know, bud. Soon. I promise. I'm gonna make it right."

* * *

**Thursday Morning, December 23rd**

"Elise, you need to eat the breakfast papa made."

Jeff gave his daughter a wide-eyed look that far outweighed the reprimand in his voice, and she giggled into her hand, causing Nick to turn around sharply.

"You know," he huffed, "I try and take the time to lovingly prepare my little family a meal, and this is the thanks I get. You both laughing behind my back."

He tried to scowl at both his husband and daughter, but he really couldn't keep a straight face. He took one look at the plate of rather unappetizing looking eggs- and bit back a laugh of his own. Jeff saw his struggle and bounced over to wrap his arms around the lawyer's waist.

"Oh, honey. The next time you decide you want to lovingly feed your little family, please save us all and take us to a restaurant."

Nick narrowed his eyes, but laughed as Jeff nuzzled into him, kissing him lightly on the tip of his nose. It was hard to be mad at someone so adorable. He laughed again when Elise jumped from the table and up onto his arms, hugging them both close.

"I love you, papa. Even if you can't cook."

"Well thank you, sweetheart," he grinned, holding her in a tight hug.

Jeff groaned when Nick's phone rang, grabbing Elise into his own arms and shooting his husband an annoyed glance.

"I will be so glad when it's the end of today and that thing goes off for fourteen straight days."

Nick shot him a little pout, pulling the phone to his ear.

"I'm sorry, baby. One more day, then I'm all yours. I'll be able to cook for you uninterrupted."

"Please, no!" Elise squealed, making both of her fathers burst into laughter as Jeff spun her in a circle.

"This is Nick Duval," the lawyer spoke into his phone with a grin.

Jeff met his eye, and quickly stopped his spinning when Nick's expression immediately fell.

"Yes, Mr. Scott. What can I do for you?"

Jeff raised an eyebrow in surprise. Nick never spoke to people this way, especially clients. The distaste in his voice was obvious, as if he wanted to show his irritation that this person would deign to call him.

Jeff quietly shushed their daughter, pulling her onto his lap at the kitchen table and watching curiously.

_Mr. Scott. That sounds so familiar. Why does that sound so familiar?_

His curiosity grew when Nick's expression changed once again. First to slight surprise, then to complete disbelief, and finally to barely contained joy. Nick weakly sank down into the chair next to his husband.

"Yes," he almost whispered, before clearing his throat with a shake of his head. "Yes, absolutely. If this is what you want, I am more than happy to help out. When..."

The suspense was killing Jeff by this point, and Elise squeaked when he squeezed her a little too tightly. He grimaced at her apologetically, before turning back to watch Nick.

"Yes, today. Of course. I'll be there. What time... Okay. I'll be there... Yes, I'll go to my office now and do what I can to prepare things ahead of time... Of course. You're quite welcome."

His expression changed once again, this time to something like pity.

"You, too. Merry Christmas, Mr. Scott."

He silently hung up his phone, resting his face down in his hands.

"Oh my god, what is it? What's happening?!" Jeff grabbed his hand and shook it roughly. He was surprised when Nick looked up, eyes watering but with a bright smile on his face.

"What-" Jeff barely had time to wonder when Nick jumped from his seat, planted a firm kiss to his lips, then leaned in to kiss Elise.

"I've gotta go," he shot out, rushing to grab his briefcase and coat. "I've got a Christmas miracle to help perform! I'll explain everything tonight! I love you guys!"

He was out the door in a flash, only to open it moments later with a roll of his eyes, snatching his keys from the hook next to the door. Before Jeff could even open his mouth, he was gone once again, the door shutting with a resounding slam.

Jeff and Elise turned to each other with identical eye rolls.

"Papa is so weird sometimes," she grinned.

"Good thing we love him anyway, huh?" Jeff grinned back, setting her down to the floor and shooing her toward the door. "Go get your coat, sweetie. Let's go get some real breakfast, then we'll finish Christmas shopping for your weird papa- who loves us enough to try and unintentionally poison us with his cooking."

* * *

"Got you, daddy!"

Finn groaned with a laugh as both Skylar and Teegan dove on top of him at once. They squealed in laughter as he lifted each of the three-year olds into the air with one arm.

"Never!" He cried, dropping them both down onto his chest and tickling their sides. "You can never beat daddy! I'm too powerful!"

He laughed outright when another small body attached itself to his legs, clinging tightly.

"Now there's three of us, Uncle Finn!" Addy shrieked. "You can't beat three of us!"

He laughed again, attempting to stand from where he had been sitting on the couch, but tripping slightly as Addy clung even more tightly to his legs.

Puck cracked open an eye from his place in the recliner, Greyson sleeping peacefully on his chest.

"Loosen your hold a bit, princess. We don't need the jolly green giant to come crashing down and kill us all."

Elliott glanced up from his book, shaking his head a bit at his sister's antics, then curled back into a little ball, letting himself be absorbed back into his story.

Rachel, Brandi and Hailey all looked over from the table, where Rachel was painting the girls' fingernails. They all giggled a bit at their little tomboy- as Addy tried her best to knock Finn over.

"Sweep the leg, Adelaide," Rachel called out with a grin. Finn looked over at his wife with a shake of his head as the three small children slowly brought him down.

"Thanks for your support, honey!" He yelped.

They all laughed as the twins and Addy all yelled triumphantly when he hit the ground.

"Time out!" He shouted with a laugh as Teegan plopped down as hard as he could on his father's stomach. "Time out! I have to answer my phone!"

He scrambled away from the room, shaking a giggling Skylar from his leg as he went.

The twins and Addy ran to join Elliott on the couch, asking that he read to them out loud, which he agreed to happily.

They all settled into the quiet. Puck dozed with Greyson. Rachel finished up the girls' nails, and the other three kids listened as Elliott read to them. Rachel looked up after a few minutes though, wondering at what was taking Finn so long. Normally any calls he had to take on his day off, he would defer quickly, not wanting to take away from his family time. With a quick word to the girls to "not touch anything while the paint is still tacky", she went to search out her husband.

She was surprised to find him- sitting down on the ground in the hall, phone hanging loosely in his hands, a look of shock on his face.

"Honey, you okay?" She asked nervously, kneeling down beside him.

He looked up, eyes shining as he quickly nodded. She squealed in surprise when he yanked her into his arms, holding her close, but collapsed into him happily.

"Yeah," he whispered, breathing out as she sank into his lap, squeezing him back even though she had no idea what was happening.

"I'm definitely okay. Very, very, very okay."

She pulled back to look at him curiously, squeaking a little yelp when he swung her up into the air suddenly as he stood. He leaned down to place a smacking little kiss on her lips before diving for the front door.

"I'm sorry, babe, but I've gotta go real quick. I need to take care of a couple things. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Do me a favor and text Kurt or Blaine. Tell them they need to be home by three o'clock."

"Why?" She called out, looking at him like he was mad. "What is going on, Finn?"

He stopped at the doorway, grinning widely and struggling to throw his jacket on.

"I'll be back soon. I'll explain everything. Promise. I love you so much! This the best Christmas ever!"

He dashed out the door excitedly, and Rachel laughed, watching the bottom corner of his coat wiggle as he tried to pull it loose from where he had shut it in the latch.

He opened the door with a sheepish smile only moments later, freeing himself quickly.

"I'm just gonna..." he shrugged another grin, closing the door once more and leaping off the front porch.

"What's daddy doing?"

Rachel looked over from where she had been shaking her head in amusement, to find Skylar pulling on her leg and pointing to the door. She reached down to pull him into her arms with a kiss to his chubby cheek.

"I'm not sure, love, but whatever daddy's up to, I'm guessing it's something good."

* * *

**Late Thursday Morning**

"Oh my god... Blaine..."

Kurt closed his eyes, leaning back against his husband, really hoping that Blaine had the strength to hold him up- because his legs were already shaking uncontrollably.

He reached a hand back to grasp Blaine's neck, resting his head on his husband's shoulder as he planted his knees deeply into the bed.

Blaine snaked his hands around the doctor's chest, rubbing lightly from one nipple to the other with one hand- as his other hand trailed down to grasp Kurt's stiff cock. He traced around it lightly, causing Kurt to whimper.

"God, yes. Please, baby. Just... like that... please, please, please..."

Blaine grinned, panting breathlessly as he thrust up and in, while firmly stroking his husband's dick.

He loved when Kurt started to babble the word 'please'. It meant that he was only moments away from his orgasm, and seeing as Blaine was only seconds away himself, this was perfect timing.

They were both kneeling on the bed, Blaine flush behind Kurt, in between his parted legs. Shaky moans were coming from Kurt's mouth as pressed back into his husband, flexing his fingers anxiously into the skin of Blaine's neck as his husband jutted into him again.

"Fuck, Blaine... right... right there... please... oh please, please, please... don't stop... fuuuuuck..."

He stuttered out a choked cry as Blaine started thrusting deeply.

"Shit, Kurt... so good."

He bit down lightly on the skin of his husband's shoulder, pinching lightly on a sensitive nipple while pumping Kurt's erection roughly.

The doctor's knees buckled at the sudden, intense wave of pleasure that washed through him. If Blaine hadn't been clinging to him so tightly he would have collapsed down completely. He could only fall back as Blaine thrust in one final time, touching and stroking him everywhere at once.

They both cried out as they came, one after the other, bodies sparking as they melted together. Kurt moaned breathily as he turned on Blaine's shoulder, blindly searching for his husband's mouth. They kissed hotly, groaning against each other as they moved slowly.

Blaine swiped his thumb gently around his husband, causing a shiver to run through the doctor as he arched his back and whined softly.

"Fuck, Blaine. Fuck... too.. too much. Oh my gooooddd, that was so good, baby."

Blaine smiled, body finally relaxing as the last, small flash of pleasure floated through him. He placed a damp kiss to Kurt's neck before weakly falling back on the bed.

Kurt fell against him with a breathy laugh, and they lay there, still connected and panting heavily.

"I'm totally crushing you," Kurt grunted, as he feebly attempted to push himself up and off of his husband. Blaine just gripped him tightly though.

"No, you're not. Well, you are, but I love it. Stay."

Kurt sighed heavily, and let himself collapse completely once again.

"You're gonna regret this in a few seconds when you can't breathe."

"Mmmm," Blaine hummed sleepily, "I love your weight on top of me."

"Mmm-hmmm," Kurt laughed lightly. "Now you sound just like you did last night."

Blaine chuckled, and Kurt shivered as the vibrations shot through his still-sensitive body.

They both sighed as Kurt rolled over and off, snuggling down into Blaine's chest with a sated smile on his face. They were both drifting off when Blaine's phone went off.

"Dammit," Blaine grumbled, scooting over to snatch his phone from next to the bed. "They send us away- telling us we need to get laid, and then interrupt us with constant texts."

Kurt laughed sleepily, plopping his head down on the bed.

"This is only the fourth one, and I'd rather Puck ask than make decisions on his own. One of his texts was asking if he could put chocolate syrup in Greyson's formula so he could have dessert, too."

Blaine's jaw dropped momentarily.

"Oh my god, we left our children in the hands of that man?!"

"Either Paul or Finn or Rach are there too. Don't worry sweetie," Kurt patted Blaine's arm lazily. "Who's it this time?"

"Huh," Blaine squinted at his phone. "It's Rachel. She's just saying that we for sure need to be back to the house by three. Something about a Christmas present being delivered and we need to be there to sign for it."

Kurt lifted his head up in confusion.

"I wonder what that's all about? They already got us this night away; I hope they didn't do anything else too crazy."

"I guess we'll see," Blaine sighed happily, plopping down and kissing Kurt steadily down his neck.

"Hmmm, keep going and I'll be ready to go again in just a few minutes."

Kurt laughed when Blaine yanked him up and over- so that the doctor was covering him completely.

"Good," Blaine grinned, "'cuz I'm ready to feel your weight on me again."

"You just can't get enough of me, huh?" Kurt smirked, reaching down to start bringing the nurse's erection to life once more.

"Mmmm, nope," Blaine sighed happily, "and I never will. You'll just have to keep satisfying me for forever, baby."

"I can do that," Kurt mumbled as he sucked gently on Blaine's clavicle, causing him to gasp and arch up into the touch. "I can definitely do that."

* * *

**Thursday Afternoon**

"Whose cars are those, Blaine?"

Kurt peered curiously at all the cars parked by their house.

"Um, well, that's Finn's. The one next to it is Nick's. I wonder what he's doing here."

Kurt's stomach twisted a little, hating that he automatically went to a place of such insecurity. Having the rug pulled out from under them so recently had set him on edge though when it came to surprises.

"Whose is that, though?" Blaine looked curiously at the small, beat-up sedan parked next to Nick's car.

"I don't..." Kurt trailed off, suddenly noticing the car seats in the back.

"Kurt..." Blaine gripped his husband's hand tightly, obviously noting the exact same thing.

They looked at each other, hearts pounding. Vivid memories from a month ago flashed through their minds. Small fingers reaching for them behind the smudge-covered rear window. Cries of "daddy" coming clearly from the old car as it pulled down their driveway, breaking their hearts with every inch added to the distance between them.

"What do you think he's doing here?" Kurt looked anxiously to the front door, having no idea what to feel or even hope for.

"We're not going to find out if we stay in here," Blaine answered in a rough voice. They looked at each other once again, both letting out a deep breath and meeting in the middle for a quick kiss before climbing out of the car. They linked shaking fingers together, both needing something to ground them.

Neither dared to voice what they were really hoping for. They didn't even dare to meet each other's eyes, for fear of getting those hopes up even further.

They burst through the front door, anxiety at an all-time high by the time they climbed the front steps. They looked on with bated breath as Nick, Finn and Bryan all looked up from some piles of paperwork.

The lawyer and social worker both looked as though they were bursting with excitement, yet were obviously trying incredibly hard to rein it in for the sake of the other man at the table.

Bryan watched them steadily, a sad smile on his face. His eyes were a bit puffy, and it was obvious that he had been crying. He sent the husbands a look that mystified them a bit, as if he had a secret that both pained him and gave him great joy. His smile grew as his eyes watered up- and he stood to walk over to them.

They felt like strangers in their own home. So much was happening and they had no idea what to make of any of it. They were still standing in the open doorway, grasping hands, nervously waiting for someone to clue them in.

"Hey, Dr. Hummel," Bryan shook Kurt's hand, then Blaine's. "Mr. Hummel."

"Hi, Bryan," Kurt smiled tightly. "I-I hope I don't sound rude, but... what are you doing here? I thought our visits were only going to be at your place? I didn't even know that we had a visit today."

"You don't," Bryan answered quickly, voice quavering just a bit. "I have something I need to discuss with you. I'm so sorry if it seems rude that I just showed up here, but I already talked with Mr. Hudson and Mr. Duvall. I had some things to work out with them and they thought it would be best if we just came here. I hope..."

He trailed off when Kurt and Blaine just stared at him blankly, then sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Can we sit down? I'll explain everything."

They nodded dumbly, following him over to their own kitchen table. Kurt jumped when Finn put an arm around his shoulders. He stared at his brother with wide eyes, not wanting to let the thoughts that were jumping through his head take hold. It was too terrifying to be that hopeful.

Finn looked at him steadily, then smiled.

Kurt wanted to throw up from the anticipation, and one look at Blaine showed him that his husband was in the same boat.

"Look," Bryan cleared his throat. "I'm just going to be completely up front with you. God knows you deserve that. I..."

He stopped for a moment, closing his eyes as if to steady himself, then let out a deep breath.

"I know that I have no right to ask this. I have no right to expect anything from either of you, but I also know how much you love my children."

He stopped, biting at his lips and letting out a shuddering breath as a hot tear escaped down his cheek.

"You love them as much as I do, and even more than that... you want them. You want them so much. I... I've realized in the past few days- that you can give them things that I never can. You can give them a solid home with two parents. A home where they are not just taken care of, but really, really wanted, and loved by so many people. I-I'm sorry I didn't see that before. I'm so sorry..."

Kurt and Blaine had both pretty much stopped breathing by that point. They were gripping each other's fingers so tightly their skin was bright white. Neither noticed. They just stared at Bryan, ready to burst with enthusiastic expectation.

"Are you saying..." Blaine couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Bryan nodded quickly, wiping at his eyes.

"I'm working with Mr. Duval to officially sign away my rights as their dad. Mr. Hudson has worked it out so that the kids can be put back in your custody, and you're free to start the whole process of adopting them. I was the only thing standing in your way before."

He gave them a shaky smile, wiping away some more tears.

"I'm not standing in the way anymore. If you still want to adopt Tia and Liam... I... I won't keep that from happening. I-I want it to happen. I don't think that they could ask for two better parents."

His voice was harsh and broken as he whispered the last sentence, and Nick reached out a steadying hand to place on his shoulder, patting him reassuringly.

Blaine stared, mouth open, trembling. He tried to come up with a response. The word "Yes!" was screaming in his mind, but he couldn't speak. He jumped when a choked sob resounded next to him.

Kurt shook his head, trying to show that he was okay. The doctor stood quickly from the table, pacing for a moment, before stopping abruptly, placing his face in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

Blaine looked from his husband to Bryan, clearly uncertain as to where he was needed. Before any of them could think, he leapt from his chair and yanked Bryan into a hug.

"Yes! Oh my god, yes! Yes, yes, yes! Thank you so much! We will love them so much! God, we already do!"

Bryan laughed lightly as he hugged Blaine back.

"I know that. Believe me."

Blaine turned then to pull his sobbing husband into his arms. Finn had stood to put an arm around his brother, but gladly stepped aside.

"We've got them back, baby," Blaine cried into Kurt's shoulder, rocking back and forth. Kurt just clung to him, working to steady his breathing. He gazed at Bryan over Blaine's shoulder, barely able to see through his tears.

"Thank you," he mouthed.

Bryan simply nodded in return.

A little gasp made both Kurt and Blaine turn from each other sharply.

A small blonde head was peaking into the room from the hall. Bright green eyes stared at them and a huge smile caused their hearts to skip a beat.

"Daddies! We're home!"

Bryan watched as both men fell to their knees, wrapping Liam in their arms in a hug so tight, he was momentarily worried that the boy would stop breathing. His bright giggles dispelled that fear though as he melted under the attention of his fathers' smothering kisses and words of love.

More happy cries filled the room when Tia toddled around the corner, followed by a harassed looking Rachel with a twin on either hip, apologizing if the kids made their entrance too early. The baby's loud exclamation of "Da!" had both men crying again as they pulled her into their group hug.

Bryan nodded, ignoring the ripping feeling in his chest as he watched the family embrace.

This was for the best. This was right. They were home now.

* * *

"I think we're mostly set here, Mr. Scott," Nick shook Bryan's hand at the front door, clapping on the shoulder. Bryan nodded with a forced smile.

"Thank you for everything. I know it was sudden; and right before Christmas. I really appreciate it."

"Of course," Nick smiled back sadly, patting him once more on the arm before turning to grab his own coat from by the door.

Blaine stepped quickly from the hallway with Liam on his hip.

"Are you leaving?" He asked quietly, noting Bryan's hand on the door. Nick looked between them and gave his friend a quick hug before excusing himself, and leaving quietly.

"Getting ready to," Bryan answered awkwardly. "I think I've done enough damage in your lives. Time for me to get out of your hair."

Blaine gave a half-hearted smile, not really having an answer for this.

"Listen," he spoke hesitantly, "if you ever want to hear about how they're doing, please don't hesitate to ask us... and if you want to see them... I'm sure we can work something out. We have no desire to keep them from you completely."

"I appreciate that," Bryan smiled genuinely. "I really do. I'll be checking in, definitely. They may be yours, but that doesn't mean I don't care."

"I know that," Blaine replied softly.

Liam eyed Bryan warily, clinging tightly to Blaine's shirt. The nurse kissed his cheek, holding him close and rubbing his back reassuringly.

"Can you say goodbye, Liam?" Blaine asked gently.

Liam lifted his head from his father's shoulder, and gave a Bryan a nervous look. He flung his face back down into Blaine's neck with a quick shake of his head.

Blaine sent Bryan a look that said he genuinely was sorry, but that he would back Liam up no matter what.

"I'm not going to force him. He's been through enough."

Bryan nodded quickly, trying to ignore the tears that threatened to fall once again.

"Absolutely. I get it. Listen," he sniffed, reaching into his pocket. "I have something I need to give you."

He handed Blaine an envelope and placed it in his hands.

"One of the letters in there is from me to my kids. It's your choice of course, but when they're older, if you're willing, I'd love for them to read it."

Blaine nodded quickly, looking into the envelope and seeing that there was more than one note there. He looked back up at Bryan curiously.

"The other two notes..." Bryan hesitated, then rushed on. "Look, you accidentally dropped your kids' letter to Santa at my apartment on the first day you visited. I looked at it because I wondered what it was, and I know I probably shouldn't have read it, but I did and I'm sorry. I felt weird giving it back to you after that because of what was written there, but now... with everything that has happened, I figured you probably would want it back to, like, scrapbook or whatever perfect parents do with their kids' stuff."

Blaine's jaw dropped, hardly able to process what he had just heard. Bryan went on before he had a chance to respond.

"The second note... again, this is obviously up to you, but it's for your other two kids... Adelaide and Elliott."

Blaine's head snapped back then, completely in shock and wondering what in the world Bryan would have to say to them. He was pretty sure the other man had never even met their first graders. Bryan just held up his hands and backed out the door.

"You can read it and decide if you want to give it to them. I'll understand if you don't want to. I... I'm just gonna say goodbye now."

He nodded roughly, forcing a smile as he quickly ducked out the door.

He made it to his car and down the driveway before he broke.

* * *

"Daddies are home!"

Brandi smiled at Addy's cry as they climbed from the backseat of Grandpa Paul's car. As fun as the last day had been, she was incredibly glad to have her fathers home, too. She just always felt so much more content and at peace when at least one of them was home. Grandpa Paul had taken them out to finish last minute Christmas shopping, which mostly included stocking stuffers for their fathers.

Paul looked down at his phone as he stepped from the driver's seat, smiling at a text he received.

"Brandi," he spoke up, eyes sparkling, "why don't you go on inside real quick now. Your dads have something special for you."

She shot him a curious look, but he quickly motioned her toward the front door. She jogged up the steps with a smile and flung open the door happily, excited to see what was waiting for her.

Her breath left her lungs in a rush.

Kurt and Blaine were standing there, smiling brightly. Blaine was snuggling a sleeping Greyson, but it was the doctor who caught her eye. Kurt was watching her expectantly, holding both Tia and Liam.

"Guess who came back home to stay, just in time for Christmas?" Kurt watched her joyfully, voice full of happy tears.

"Sissy!" Liam yelled, reaching for her as he bounced in his father's arms.

She looked to her fathers incredulously, unable to believe what she was seeing. She stepped forward shakily, grasping both of them to her, and immediately sank to the floor. Kurt sank down with her, holding her in his arms as she held her siblings to her chest.

They bounced and clung to her happily, both babbling nonsensical words and pressing sloppy little kisses to her face.

She stayed quiet, barely breathing. She didn't want to move, or talk, or even think. She had never known so much joy as in this moment. She didn't want it to end. She sank back against Kurt in quiet disbelief, drawing her brother and sister closer.

"There is nothing I will ever want ever again," she whispered, kissing the tops of their heads. Kurt grinned holding them all close.

"I'll remember that in three years when you want a car," he whispered with a choked laugh.

She burst out laughing then, but her tears weren't far behind. They stayed together, crying happily as they held Tia and Liam close. Both small children wiping at the eyes of their sister and father curiously, not completely understanding what it was all about, but simply happy to be where they belonged.

Blaine watched on, wiping at his own eyes once again as he cuddled Greyson into his shoulder, and thinking that they were all going go to have splitting headaches later from all of this crying. He looked up when Addy and Elly bounced through the front door.

They looked on with mouths hanging open, before turning slowly to Blaine, silently looking for confirmation that this was actually happening. He grinned and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

"We got a delivery today, guys," he told them mischievously. "This note came for you."

They looked at each other in disbelief, before running to his side and snatching the note from his hand. Blaine stepped behind them to shut the door, stopping to wave at Paul. The older man smiled happily and waved, but got into his car without going up to the house. There would be plenty of time for him to see the kids. Tonight needed to be just about them.

Blaine turned from the door to watch as Addy and Elly scrambled out of their mittens to open the note in their hands.

Kurt had pulled himself together enough to watch on. He adjusted the three kids in his lap slightly, holding them close, and glancing over at Blaine with a smile.

The two first graders held the now-open note between them with trembling fingers.

_Dear Elliott and Adelaide,_

_I wanted to thank you for your kind letter. You're right. You have been very good kids this year._

_Your brother and sister missed you, too. I had a nice talk with their daddy, and he agreed that they should come back home._

_Please take care of them and love them always._

_Santa Claus_

_PS Elliott, your belief worked. Don't ever lose it._

It took Addy a few seconds longer than Elly to finish the small letter, but when she did, their wide eyes met silently.

After a moment of silence, Addy closed her eyes and threw both of her fists into the air triumphantly.

"I knew it!"

* * *

**Thursday Night**

That night, the entire family was once again curled up on the king-sized bed in Kurt and Blaine's room. There hadn't even been a thought of everyone going to their separate rooms.

No one wanted to let go of Tia and Liam.

Tia and Liam had no intention of being let go.

For the first time in three long weeks, their flawless little family, once again... felt complete.


	19. Chapter 19

AN- *peeks head out cautiously* Um, so I'm still here :) Gosh you guys have been patient! I apologize profusely for your insanely long wait.

Long ass author's note, so thanks in advance for putting up with it :)

I'll answer two questions that were asked by many of you:

1. The story is not over. RL just called for a while. I have multiple loose ends to tie up and another twist or two for our family yet ;)

2. My Tumblr... Everything's peachy, me and the kiddos :) I'm just not going to be on there for the time being. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving the fandom and I'm definitely still writing! My lovely beta, gottriplets, has graciously agreed to post all my updates with the fic tags and the 'violetwrites' tag, so those of you who follow updates there can still do so. Feel free to PM me here anytime!

I struggled with this chap for a bit, because beginning to resolve this particular issue was a bit of a pickle for me (let me reiterate the word 'begin', because such healing is a long, long road).

Three key pieces of inspiration are to thank for finally kicking my ass into gear. Firstly, thank you, Layla, for putting the idea of fairy tales in my head :) Secondly, thanks to my beta, for kick-starting the idea for Kurt and Blaine's little 'presentation' at the end. Finally, as I was out running the other day, a song came across my shuffle and kinda smacked me across the face as the perfect theme for this chap. "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers. Give it a listen if you like. I think it rather apt.

This has yet to be beta'd completely, but I'll post the corrections after the holiday weekend. All current mistakes are mine!

I've missed you all! Many sloppy cyber kisses coming your way :)

Love,

PV

* * *

**2am, Saturday, December 25th**

"Babe?"

Blaine lifted his head sleepily from the pillow to glance over at his husband.

"Kurt."

A muffled grumble came from under the comforter next to him.

"Kurt, Gres is crying. It's your turn and you told me to make sure I made you get up. You said you're scared that he'll say daddy to me first because I'm always up with him in the night."

He chuckled when all he heard was deep breathing. Kurt was such a deep sleeper that it usually took one of the kids crying right next to his ear for him to wake up. He leaned over to kiss the top of his husband's head, reminding himself to tease him mercilessly about this in the morning. He quickly flipped off the baby monitor and slipped out of bed, heading next door to the nursery.

* * *

Brandi shot up in bed, heart pounding, pulse echoing in her ears, gasping for air. She clutched at the covers anxiously, looking around the room in a panic.

With shaking hands she pushed back sweaty strands of hair from her face. She struggled to swallow the hard lump that had formed in her throat as her breathing gradually slowed down and her panic faded. She tensed her jaw as hot tears began to prick the corners of her eyes and her bottom lip started to tremble.

She slowly drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her thin arms around her legs. Resting her cheek on top of her knees, she struggled to take deep, calming breaths. After a few moments, she knew it was no good. Some nights she could push through. Some nights she would wake up from the dreams feeling merely unsettled, and taking a few steadying breaths were all she needed to get back to sleep.

Tonight was not one of those nights.

She turned so that her face was buried into her knees, and let go. Her thin shoulders shook as she sobbed quietly. Frustration swelled up within her as she cried softly. Life was so good now. She knew this. Deep down she knew that she was safe and loved, and that as long as her new fathers had any say in the matter she would never want for anything again.

She knew this, but no matter how much time passed, or how good her life was during the day, the dreams wouldn't stop coming, and with them every fear and feeling associated with her childhood.

The frustration and overwhelming fears churned inside her, and she slowly began to rock, trying desperately to keep her sobs quiet and contained. She didn't want anyone to hear. Goodness knows her fathers worried about her enough. They always seemed to be watching, looking for any sign that she needed something. She wasn't one to ask for help and they realized this, leading to at least one of them always being on guard, prepared to offer her anything she might need. It had been exacerbated during the month that Tia and Liam had been gone, for obvious reasons. Her siblings were home again though. Everything was perfect. Everything was as it should be. She had watched their dads tuck them all in that night, completely happy and relaxed again for the first time in the last three nightmarish weeks.

The last thing they needed was one more reason to worry about her. She would manage this on her own.

* * *

"Hey, baby boy."

Blaine leaned over the crib with a sleepy smile. Greyson's eyes were screwed shut and his chubby cheeks were flushed bright red as he let out another sharp cry. Blaine knew this cry well. He picked up the pacifier lying next to Greyson's tiny, clutching hand and popped it into the baby's mouth. With a greedy, gulping sound the baby let out a shuddering little breath as he sucked on the plastic soother. Blaine watched with a smile as Greyson's face slowly relaxed and the short, whimpering breaths quieted into small sighs. Tiny fingers twitched and clutched at the air and Blaine couldn't help reaching down to place a finger against the minute palm. His breath caught in his chest when Greyson held tightly to his finger. He knew that he would never get tired of things like this, no matter how many times it happened.

His heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but jump when he suddenly felt a hand on his waist and a chin rest on his shoulder.

"I thought you were gonna wake me up."

"I tried," Blaine rolled his eyes, turning his face to give Kurt a light kiss. "You just grumbled at me."

Kurt buried his face against the nurse's shoulder, groaning quietly.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't have any trouble waking up when I'm on call and have to crash at the hospital."

Blaine snorted a little too loudly, causing Greyson to startle in his sleep.

"Actually, you're just as bad there."

"How do you know?" Kurt asked defensively. "You don't work with me when I do those shifts."

"Lisa told me. She pinches you to wake you up. Lucky for you, I'm much nicer than that."

"Wow. You're right, you are nicer. Another good reason to be married to a man. Women are mean and wake you by abusing you."

"You're making some pretty broad generalizations there, babe," Blaine laughed.

"Yes, well, I'm still half-asleep."

Kurt sleepily snuggled down onto Blaine's shoulder, wrapping his arms around the nurse's waist. Blaine leaned back against him with a sigh and they both stared down at Greyson contentedly.

"He's so beautiful," Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear.

Blaine nodded slowly, running his fingers up and down Kurt's arms, ending with threading their fingers together.

"Have you noticed that his eyes look like Cara's?"

He felt Kurt nod slowly against his cheek, and the doctor's grip around his waist tightened.

"Yeah. I was just noticing that the other day."

Blaine sighed again, squeezing Kurt's hand before stepping forward to tuck the blanket in around the baby a little more snugly.

"Night, nugget. Daddies love you."

As Blaine moved away, Kurt stepped forward to stroke the chubby cheek lightly. He looked up when he saw Blaine waiting for him at the door. With one last glance at his sleeping son, he stepped to his husband's side and they moved into the hall.

"Hey!" Kurt whispered quietly, stopping Blaine and pulling him into his arms. "Guess what!"

"What?" Blaine chuckled, loving the childishly excited expression that was gracing his husband's face, one that he and he alone got to see.

"It's officially Christmas!"

"No, it's not!" He grinned, reaching his hands up to link around Kurt's neck. "We go through this every year. It's not Christmas until we wake up in the morning."

"Yes, it is," Kurt gently squeezed his waist. "It's Christmas the moment it turns midnight."

"Fine," Blaine responded cheekily. "Let me just go wake up the kids right now then. They'll want to open their presents if it's Christmas."

He pulled from Kurt's arms and was skipping toward Liam's bedroom door, when the doctor grabbed his hand, yanking him back.

"You're such a brat," Kurt pulled him close again with a laugh. "Fine. It may not be Christmas for the kids..." he gripped Blaine's waist, leaning in for a kiss, "but it can be Christmas for us."

"Hmmm," Blaine kissed him back, gripping the front of his shirt and rubbing his hips up against Kurt's. "I do happen to have a package for you."

Kurt snorted against his mouth, shaking his head.

"God, you're such a boy."

Blaine just winked, grabbing his hand to pull him to their room. Kurt bumped into him though when he stopped suddenly, just short of their door.

"Wha-"

Blaine waved a hand, motioning for Kurt to stop talking. He cocked his head, listening. Kurt was about to sigh impatiently when something caught his attention too. He looked at Blaine in surprise. They both heard it now. A muffled crying.

They knew it wasn't Tia or Liam, it didn't sound like a toddler. They were pretty sure it wasn't Elly or Addy, neither of their first graders would have hesitated to just come and get their fathers had they been that upset. They glanced at each other with pained expressions and moved quickly to Brandi's door.

Blaine got there first but hesitated for a moment. No matter how comfortable they had grown they were still dealing with a teenage girl, and this was uncharted territory for both of them. He knew he couldn't just walk in like he would with any of other kids, but neither was he about to leave her crying. He felt Kurt nudge him impatiently in the shoulder and knocked lightly.

There was no response at first. He knocked again, a little more firmly. When they got no response for a second time Kurt reached around and turned the knob. He pushed the door open just a crack, leaning forward.

"Brandi? Honey? It's daddies. Are you okay? Can we come in?"

They glanced at each other nervously when they still got no response, and the muffled cries actually seemed to grow.

"We're coming in, punkin," Blaine pushed the door open the rest of the way, peering into the dark.

"Honey!" He gasped, rushing to her bed. He heard Kurt breathe out in dismay, right on his heels.

Brandi was huddled at the head of her bed, looking small and terrified. She was visibly shaking as she bit lightly at her hand to try and muffle her cries. Bright green eyes that were filled with tears watched her fathers in anguish, and she clapped her hand over her mouth, shaking her head.

Blaine didn't hesitate, sitting right in front of her and scooping her up into his lap. Even with the weight she had managed to gain she was still incredibly thin, and he lifted her easily. Kurt sat down against Blaine, wrapping his arms around the both of them.

"What's wrong, Brandi?" Blaine asked in troubled voice. "What is it? You're not hurt are you?"

When she frantically shook her head without saying a word, only clinging to him, he decided not to push.

For several long moments they simply rocked her between them. Her crying had only increased, and she was now sobbing desperately against Blaine's chest, gasping for air.

"Shhhh, baby," Kurt whispered against her hair. "It's okay. Whatever it is, it'll be okay. We've got you."

"I-I'm sorry," Brandi sobbed.

"Sorry for what?" Blaine asked in astonishment, kissing her hair.

"For... for b-bothering you," she stammered against his chest.

They glanced at each other over her head, both feeling as if they had been punched in the gut.

"You are never, ever bothering us Brandi," Kurt responded firmly, hugging her firmly between them. "We WANT to be here for you. This is what dads do."

To their dismay, his statement seemed to ignite her for some reason, and she started to sob even harder. Kurt pulled back for a moment, seeing how desperately she was gasping for air and not wanting to smother her. He watched Blaine hold and comfort her, feeling broken and helpless.

"It's okay," Blaine breathed, rocking her back and forth. "It's gonna be okay."

He repeated this over and over, softly kissing her hair every time he spoke.

She didn't say anything in response, but eventually seemed to settle a bit. Her heart-wrenching cries slowly turned into muffled sniffles and hiccuped breaths. They didn't say anything further for a while, just rocked her slowly, clasping hands around her.

They both felt a huge wave of relief when she started to speak in a wavering voice.

"I keep... having..."

They didn't react at all when she hesitated and paused, only waited patiently for her speak again.

"I k-keep h-having these dreams," she whispered.

"They're bad dreams I'm guessing? Is that what's you upset?" Kurt asked softly.

When Brandi only swallowed and let out a shuddering breath, he patiently ran a hand over her hair.

"I d-don't know," she sobbed again, closing her eyes as she rested on Blaine's shoulder.

Kurt looked anxiously at Blaine over her head. They both knew that she needed to calm down before she started hyperventilating.

"It always helps me to talk about it when I have bad dreams," Blaine stated quietly, still rocking her slowly in his arms, not letting go. "Just ask daddy. I had an awful dream the other night where a giant muffin was trying to eat me. It was horrible. I woke him up and made him reassure me that there weren't any muffins in the house before I could go back to sleep."

It was quiet for a moment, before Blaine pulled back to look at her, not even trying to hide his smile. She watched him uncertainly, before snorting a tiny laugh, wiping at her watery eyes. Kurt rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around both of them.

"Oh, honey. You're such a dork. I wish I could tell you that he made that up to make you laugh, Brandi, but it really did happen."

She giggled a little bit more, leaning her head back down. Her laughter quickly turned into more tears, but Blaine's little story had the desired affect, and she was no longer hysterical.

"Talk to us, sweetie," Blaine sighed. "We can't help you if you don't."

"It... It's okay. I don't want to bo-"

"Brandi Elizabeth Hummel," Kurt took her face in his hands, pulling her to face him, and looked into her eyes. She hiccuped lightly and stared at him with a shocked expression.

They had started the whole process for her adoption the moment she had legally been taken from her father's custody, although it hadn't been rushed since they had wanted to adopt all three kids at the same time. I had been a pretty important moment when they had discussed the changing of her last name to Hummel, which she had been thrilled with. Even more significant though, had been when Nick had asked for her middle name while working on the official paperwork. She had told him with a shrug that her mother hadn't given her one. That night Kurt and Blaine had asked her how she would feel about them giving her a middle name. She been ecstatic, and then incredibly moved when they had gone on to ask how she felt about being named after Kurt, and having the middle name Elizabeth.

Still, they had yet to actually use her name, as it hadn't been legally changed. She realized that until this moment they hadn't had occasion to call her by her new middle name yet either.

She smiled softly, sniffing and trying to control her trembling bottom lip.

"Yes, daddy?"

"If you say one more time that you don't want to bother us, I will, for the first time since you've become our little girl, actually be mad at you."

All three of them started laughing softly at this, knowing very well that Kurt was nowhere near actually being mad. She gulped in a shaky breath.

"I just-"

"No," Kurt interrupted firmly. "I want you to hear this. We know, honey, that you have every reason to not trust the adults in your life... to think that we wouldn't care or that we wouldn't want to be bothered. God knows the ones who were supposed to take care of you just let you down, over and over. You've had to grow up and be responsible and self sufficient way before your time. It's not fair. So many things should have been different for you. You don't even know how much daddy and I wish that we could have just swooped in before any of this happened and taken you right then."

He stopped for a moment, wiping at his own eyes with the back of his hand. Brandi had settled down again in Blaine's lap, resting against his chest, and he rested his head on top of hers, holding her close and rocking her gently while Kurt spoke. She gripped Blaine's hands as they wrapped around her, and watched Kurt with wide eyes.

"We couldn't though," he shrugged, though it was clear that it was painful for him, "but... we have you now. You are who you are because of everything you've gone through. You're so used to having to be strong. Your strength is amazing, and we love you for it. We would never just expect for it to be easy for you to depend on and trust us, but what you need to know now is that being strong doesn't have to mean handling things on your own. We are your dads, sweetheart. It is our job to take care of you, and to be there for you, and worry about you and change everything within our power to make life for better for you."

She took in a stuttered breath and gave him a watery smile.

"We will spend," Blaine spoke up, kissing her cheek from behind and squeezing her in a hug, "every single day telling you this. The moment you forget, and try to handle too much on your own, we will be here to remind you that this is our job. We wouldn't have it any other way. We took you in so that we could take care of you, not so that you could keep doing it on your own."

"So," she responded with a growing smile, "every day until I grow up, huh?"

They both laughed at this.

"You won't stop being our kid once you're grown up, honey. We will always be your daddies." Kurt shot her his bossiest glance, causing her to giggle with one last watery sniff.

When he was sure she had finally calmed completely, Kurt pressed a gentle kiss to her tear-stained cheek and stood from the bed. He stepped quickly into her bathroom, grabbing a box of tissues and carrying them back to the bed. He pulled one out to wipe at his own eyes as he walked. It was nearly impossible for him to watch any of his children this upset with tearing up himself.

He leaned down to brush the hair from her face, heart clenching as he took in her red, swollen eyes. He silently offered the box of tissues, smiling gently. She took one with shaky fingers, shooting him a now genuine smile in return, albeit a tiny one.

She wiped at her eyes and blew her nose as quietly as she could, and she was suddenly overly aware of the fact that she was still huddled on Blaine's lap. Not that she minded, but she still feared that they might think she was a bit too old for that. Giving him a gentle squeeze she scooted herself down, and Kurt moved over, giving her room between them.

Blaine reached over and took her hand once she was settled.

"You said that you keep having these dreams. I'm assuming that this has been happening on a regular basis."

Brandi nodded slowly, not meeting his eyes.

"Have you been waking up like this in the night since you got here?" Kurt asked carefully.

"Most nights," she nodded again. "It was really bad at first. I came so close to coming and getting you in the night, but you had already given me so much and I was scared that you would be annoyed with me if I was too clingy, so..."

Both men had to work hard to not react in their frustration at her comment, knowing that if they did so they would just be confirming her fears in her eyes. She went on before either could respond.

"I think that's why I was so attached to you during the days at first," she shrugged, looking up at them nervously. When they both smiled and held her hands on either side she felt encouraged to continue.

"I was so scared that this wouldn't last, that it wasn't real. To be honest I'm still scared of that. I think... I think maybe that's why I have the dreams."

"Do you want to tell us about them?" Blaine asked in a gentle voice.

She looked at them both anxiously, sucking in a shaky breath before she nodded once more.

"It... it's always the same kind of thing. Sometimes I'm really little again and I'm back with mama. Sometimes I'm a little bit older and I'm back with my dad. Other times I'm back on the streets... on my own."

Kurt and Blaine both fought to simply keep their gaze on their foster daughter, to not react. All they wanted to do was to yank her back into their arms and reassure her that she would never again be alone, that she was theirs now and always would be. They were both wise enough to realize that this wasn't what she needed right now. Even after all this time she had yet to really open up about everything she had been through, or how she was really feeling. While they had no desire to push her, content for the time being that she was simply cared for and safe, they did worry that she wouldn't truly be able to heal from her past if she was never able to talk about it.

"No matter what, whatever is going on in my dreams... the same thing happens."

She stayed silent for several moments, looking down into her lap.

"What happens, punkin?" Kurt questioned, squeezing her hand.

She looked up at him, chin quivering a little, eyes begging him not to judge her for what she was about to say.

"Something... or someone... always tells me that you guys don't really want me, that I'm not good enough... that I don't really deserve to be with you."

Kurt's mouth dropped open and he saw Blaine tighten his grip on her hand out of the corner of his eye.

"When I'm with mama or my father, they are the ones telling me. When I'm by myself, it's just a voice in my head. God, now I sound crazy!" She pulled her hands away then, sliding her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs with a heavy sigh. "No matter what though, it's awful. I wake up feeling so alone and terrified."

She had been speaking in a low voice, not looking them in the eye, speaking to a dark corner of the room. When they didn't respond, she looked up again slowly, first at Kurt, then Blaine. What she saw surprised her.

She wasn't exactly sure what she had expected. Maybe pity. Maybe a rolling of their eyes over how irrational and sensitive she was being. Maybe frustration over the fact that they had told her countless times that they loved her, yet she was still questioning it, even if just in her dreams. She knew in her head that she had no reason to doubt these two amazing men. Unfortunately, what she knew in her head had little to do with her emotions.

She looked from man to man, and the only thing she saw was acceptance. There wasn't any judgment for what she was saying and how she was feeling. They were just listening and taking it in. It was obvious that her words were causing them pain, but it was also obvious that whatever pain they were feeling was simply because they didn't want her to hurt anymore, not that they were bothered by what she was saying.

"First of all," Kurt spoke in a quiet voice. "You're not crazy. Not even close. I deal with actual, real life crazy people all the time. Trust me. You aren't."

She laughed a little when he leaned in so that their foreheads were touching, kissing the tip of her nose.

"Secondly, you deserve everything good in life. Everything. If anything, daddy and I are the ones who don't deserve you. You're so amazing, Brandi. You're so special. We will spend every day, for the rest of your life, trying to be worthy of you. We want you, so desperately. We will never, ever, willingly give you up."

The word 'willingly' hung heavily in the air. Their experiences with Liam and Tia fresh in their minds.

Brandi glanced between them, heart racing as she tried desperately to believe that this was all true, to know deep down that she would never really be alone again.

With a loving squeeze to her arm, Blaine scooted back on her bed so that he was leaning against the wall, and Kurt quickly followed suit. Once they were settled in, side by side, the doctor held his arms out to her questioningly. She swallowed back a lump in her throat, trying to to burst into tears once again, and gratefully crawled up so that she was partially on both of their laps, their hands linking together in front of her as they held her close.

"Daddy and I are gonna tell you a story. Is that okay?" Blaine whispered into her hair. A little bit of warmth spread through her at those homey, comforting words... words that she had never once heard as a child.

"K," she whispered back, resting her head against both of their shoulders.

Kurt shot a questioning look toward Blaine, as if to say, 'I'm game, but what in the world are we doing?'

Blaine gave a minute shake of his head with a little smile, silently letting Kurt know that he would easily catch on.

"Once upon a time," he spoke, "in a magical land, far, far away, there were two princes. Both of these princes had magical powers to heal people. One prince, who's name was..."

He paused, glancing at Kurt with a raised eyebrow. Kurt had been smiling at the story, but quickly panicked when he realized that Blaine expected him to fill in the blank.

"U-ummm... Kurt."

"I think he was expecting you to come up with a made-up name," Brandi giggled, smiling up at him.

"I'm not good at thinking on my feet," Kurt shrugged with a blush.

"Says the emergency room doctor," Blaine grinned, but leaned over to kiss his husband's cheek. Kurt playfully pushed him away though with a mock glare.

"If it had been a life or death situation I would have thought of something fabulous," he sniffed, pretending to be offended. Brandi hugged him close.

"I thought it was just perfect."

"At least someone loves me," Kurt hugged her back, winking at Blaine over her head. The nurse rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Anyway, so one of the princes was named Kurt. This prince was an amazing healer, spending his life taking care of anyone he met that needed help. He was kind, compassionate, and one of the most selfless princes in all the land. There was something that set Prince Kurt apart from all of the other princes though. You see, he was also a daddy. Sometimes it was hard being a daddy all by himself, but he loved his son, so he was a very happy prince. Now, even though he loved his life, loved healing people and being a daddy, he was still missing something. He was missing another prince. Someone to love and call his own."

"What about the other prince?" Brandi asked gently when he paused for a moment.

Blaine glanced over at Kurt, nodding his head.

"Well," Kurt took in a deep breath. "Keep in mind that Daddy B is way better at this kind of stuff than me, but... the other prince, Prince Blaine, lived in a different part of the land than Prince Kurt. Prince Blaine... was full of life. He spread joy to everyone he met, just by being his amazing self. He had a way of making people feel safe, and special and loved, just by befriending them. He was also an amazing healer, helping and caring for any sick person who needed him. Now, he was also a daddy, and even though he loved being a daddy, just like Prince Kurt, he wished he had someone to share it with. Someone who loved him. Someone who wanted to be a daddy just as much as he did."

They gazed at each other steadily over Brandi's head, and Blaine mouthed 'I love you.' They stared into each other's eyes for a moment in silence, thinking back to the days of Alex, and before they had met.

"How did they meet?" Brandi asked, prodding Blaine in the chest. He shook his head, pulling himself from his reverie.

"One day, Prince Blaine knew that it was time to leave his home. It was scary, to leave everything and everyone he knew and start all over again. You see... Prince Blaine had kind of lost his way. He wasn't sure of who he was anymore, or what he meant to do in life. He only knew that he loved his little girl more than anything, and that together they deserved something better. They deserved to be happy, to have everything they ever wanted. So, one day, he plucked up the courage to leave everything he knew, and take his daughter to a new part of the land."

Brandi swallowed back some tears, the words he was speaking hitting home in a way that she wasn't even sure he intended. The fact that he had known he deserved more in life, that he deserved to be happy. Not just that but that he had recognized the same for his daughter. They were words that, before she had met this amazing family, would have seemed so foreign and distant to her. Such ideas had never applied to her life. She had always been told that she wasn't worthy of that kind of happiness, and she had believed it... until now. Slowly but surely, bit by bit, she was beginning to believe that she belonged somewhere. That she was actually worthy of being loved. That she deserved to be loved. That she was, actually, loved.

"So what happened then?" She pushed gently.

"Well," Kurt continued, biting his lip uncertainty. "One night, Prince Blaine's daughter was attacked by an evil sorcerer who cursed her with the treacherous otitis media."

Blaine's shoulders started to shake and Brandi turned other dark haired father for a translation.

"She got an ear infection," he whispered.

"Feel free to continue from here," Kurt smirked.

"I actually thought that was brilliant," Blaine grinned, "but sure, babe. So, Prince Blaine was indeed worried about his little girl, and he knew that he couldn't battle this curse on his own, so he went in search of the greatest healer in the whole land."

"Prince Kurt," Brandi supplied with a grin.

"Yes," Blaine nodded.

"Awww," Kurt leaned over for a quick kiss. "Thanks, honey!"

"I only speak the truth," Blaine smiled, returning the kiss.

Brandi sat back and watched them with a happy sigh. She was aware that most kids her age would be grossed out at the sight of their parents kissing and being mushy, but for her it stood for happiness, love, security and everything else that came along with a stable marriage and family. She couldn't get enough of watching them like this.

"What happened after Prince Kurt healed the little princess?"

"We never said he healed her," Kurt laughed.

"Of course he did," Brandi rolled her eyes.

"Of course he did," Blaine agreed, pulling her back against him. "What happened next is that they fell in love, got married and all four of them lived together happily."

"Easy as that?" Brandi asked quietly.

They both paused and glanced at each other over her head once more. Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes in a way that he pretty much had since they met. As if no one else existed, nothing else mattered and nothing else on the planet could make him quite so happy. He slowly nodded against Brandi's hair.

"Easy as that."

"Is that it?"

"Of course not," Kurt answered, pulling her a little closer into his own lap. "That's just the first half of the story. After they got married and became a family, they realized that something else was missing from their lives. They were so happy with their little prince and princess-"

"Prince Elliott and Princess Adelaide," Brandi jumped in.

"Yes," he smiled. "You're right. Let's be official about this. See, they lived in a big castle and had plenty of rooms to fill, and they knew in their hearts that their family wasn't complete. They knew that for their family to be complete, they would need to give Elliott and Adelaide some brothers and sisters."

"They knew that they couldn't take just any children though," Blaine began. "They had to be just the right kids."

"How would they know who was right for them?" Brandi asked against Kurt's chest.

"For one thing, the children would need them," Kurt answered, running his fingers through her hair. "More importantly though, they would need the children."

"How would they know though?" Brandi asked again.

"They would just know," Kurt kissed the top of her head. "All it would take is one, magical look."

"They started off with just two," Blaine continued, watching them both with a smile. "They took in little Prince Liam and Princess Tia, and they knew right away after that 'one magical look' that it was meant to be, that they had finally found the perfect additions to their family. Around the same time, they heard of a beautiful enchantress named Cara, who was traveling to see them from far away. She sent word ahead to the two princes that she had another baby for them to care for. One that was meant to be with the two princes, yet only she could present it to them."

"The baby came by enchantress?" Brandi laughed.

"Yes," Kurt responded pertly, "and that's the story we're sticking to."

"Okay," Brandi smiled. "Hey, can I... can I tell the story now for a minute?"

"Sure," Blaine answered in surprise. He rested his head down on Kurt's shoulder and they waited patiently for her to go on.

"In a different part of the land, not too far from where the princes lived, was a girl named Brandi. Once, when she was really, really little, she thought that she was a princess too. She would dream and dream that a handsome prince who would come and rescue her and take her away to live happily ever after. Eventually though, she started to believe that she wasn't actually a princess. She wasn't quite special enough. No one was coming to rescue her. No one even knew she was there. No one cared. She was sad and scared and alone. But just when she was giving up, just when she thought she it was the end and that no one would ever care about her, someone did come along. A brave and handsome prince rescued her after all. It was Prince Blaine."

Blaine's grip around her tightened, remembering that night so clearly. How he had almost walked past. How if he had been in more of a hurry, he might have missed how her small, pale hand had been poking out from underneath that overcoat.

"What happened next?"

Brandi smiled when it was Kurt's turn to speak up and ask the question.

"He saved her," Brandi answered simply. "He saved her life. Not just by healing her, but by telling her that she wasn't allowed to give up. That he wouldn't ever let her. She believed him, and that... is what really saved her."

Blaine just leaned in to kiss her cheek, remembering those words he'd spoken so clearly. She hadn't mentioned it since that first night they brought her home, and she had been so out of it he wasn't sure that she even remembered. He felt so overwhelmed at what she was now saying.

Kurt leaned back a bit and watched them quietly. He remembered just as clearly how he had walked into the hospital room that Saturday morning only three months ago to find his sleeping husband clinging to the hand of this young girl. He couldn't have put it into words at that time, but he had known right away that they were meant to have some part in taking care of her. Things couldn't have fallen into place in a more perfect way after that.

"So," he carried on with the story, "the two princes took that 'one magical look' at the girl, and saw what she had forgotten. She really was a princess, and she belonged with them. Princess Brandi was meant to a part of their family. They were meant to remind her every single day, just how amazing she was, and she was meant to fill that final place in their lives. To complete them."

"It was hard for her at first," he continued. "She had spent so long believing that no one cared. The two princes didn't give up though. They just loved her every day, like she deserved. They told her as often as they could that they didn't just want her in their family, they needed her. Slowly but surely, they won her over."

"They definitely won her over," Brandi whispered with a smile.

Blaine grinned and was about to speak when he suddenly perked up and gave Kurt an excited little yelp. Both Kurt and Brandi looked at each other in confusion when he scooted away from them and shot out of the room.

"What is he doing?" Brandi asked, gazing out her open door.

"I don't..." Kurt started with a laugh, then stopped. He was suddenly quite sure what Blaine was up to, and thought his husband was a genius. A second later Blaine popped back into the room carrying a tiny box and a wearing a huge grin.

"And to show her just how much they not only wanted her, but needed her," he carried on as if he had never left the room. "They presented her with a special token of their love."

Brandi gazed up at him with her mouth hanging open when he stopped in front of her bed. She slowly scooted down from Kurt's lap and toward the edge where Blaine had knelt down on one knee. Kurt moved up behind her, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist.

"You were supposed to open this tomorrow," Blaine smiled as he opened the lid to the gray, velvet box, "but I think right now is actually perfect."

Brandi gasped a little, "Oh, my goodness," as the box was opened, but kept her hands in her lap.

It was a ring with a delicate, white gold band, with what looked like a round emerald stone in the middle. As she looked closely though, she realized that it wasn't actually a round stone. It was two half circles, pushed together to make a whole, meeting in the middle yet showing just the tiniest bit of separation to reveal that they were actually separate pieces. Surrounding the green stone were six small, clear stones.

"You can probably see that the stone in the middle is actually two pieces," Kurt said softly in her ear as Blaine took the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger. "That stands for daddy and I. Two separate people, but one. We picked an emerald because it will look so beautiful with your eyes. The diamonds around the outside stand for all you kids. Each one, equally ours, making us complete."

Blaine had slid it onto her finger completely by the time Kurt had finished speaking and all she could do was stare at her trembling hand. It was very delicate, over all. The band was thin and the stones were small. Anything else would have seemed too much on her petite hand. The stones were sparkling and clear though and it was breathtaking.

"Do you like it?" Blaine asked nervously. She looked up at him with wide eyes before diving off the bed into his arms.

"I think that's a yes," Kurt grinned, and Brandi jumped from Blaine's arms back into his. After a moment she moved back down onto the bed and gazed up at both of them, shaking her head.

"You know," she spoke softly, running a finger over the stones and looking down while she spoke. "I didn't know until just now exactly why it's been so hard for me to believe that this is real. I've never been able to put my finger on it. It just always seemed too good to be true. But... I think I know why now."

"Why is that?" Kurt asked as Blaine stood from the floor and he pulled the nurse onto his lap. They watched her curiously and she looked at them with a bright smile.

"Because," she nodded, as if seeing them for the first time. "I was so, so sure, for so long, that happy endings couldn't exist. I stopped believing in fairy tales, and heroic rescues and... just all of it. Until I met you guys, that is."

All three watched each other, sniffing happily as they wiped at their eyes. Brandi spoke again in a choked whisper, looking down once more at her ring.

"You two. You're my real life Prince Charmings."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Kurt and Blaine were in their own room, and Brandi was just starting to drift off. A dazzling smile was on her face and she was gently fingering the ring, still unable to believe that it was actually there.

She started at a small noise, and smiled when she saw a tiny blonde head peek in from her door. She sat up and held out her arms without a word. She could make out Liam's excited grin from across the room and laughed a little when he bounded into her bed.

"Can't sleep, bear?"

He settled in on her pillow and reached out a hand to touch her cheek when she rested down next to him.

"I was sad when I was gone, sissy," he whispered. She nodded slowly, touching his hand.

"I was too, buddy."

They lay there for a moment, saying nothing, just watching each other.

"Hey, I have an idea," she said after a moment, smiling. "What if I tell you a little story to help you sleep?"

Liam nodded excitedly, and curled up against her, closing his eyes. She closed her eyes as well, and ran her fingers through his hair as she began to speak in a soothing voice.

"Once upon a time, in a magical land, far, far away, there were two princes..."


	20. Not an update! Important author's note

Hello, loves :)

First of all, I apologize that this is an author's note and not an update! I know that some of you have been waiting quite a while for this, and I feel terrible about that.

You've all been just insanely patient with me as you've waited for an update on this story. So many of you have been with me from the very beginning, when I first joined the fanfiction world and posted the first chapter to "A Fresh Start". It means so very much to me. I can't even begin to describe how blessed I've been by the friendship and support you've all shown me!

Because of this, I felt that you deserved an explanation as to why there have been no recent updates, and why there may not be for the next little bit.

You see, my husband and I were expecting a baby. It was quite a surprise to us, but we were thrilled, none the less. Unfortunately, I lost the baby. This is the fourth time I have experienced this kind of loss, and it was quite devastating. The truth is, I just don't have it in me at the moment to write the story of this amazing little family and their newborn baby. The hurt in my real life is just a bit too fresh.

I'm already doing much better, thanks to the support of my amazing friends and family, and will continue to get better. It just takes time.

I want to thank you for your patience as I heal, and I appreciate so very much your support of this story and me as an author. It will be finished. I promise you that. There are a few chapters left before this 'verse is complete, and a couple of surprises in store for the Hummel family yet ;)

Much love and sloppy cyber kisses to you all!

xoxoxo,

Violet


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